Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony

Subject: Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony Tue Mar 19, 2019 12:03 am

The day was here at last.

Weeks of preparation, awkwardness, working through difficult scheduling conflicts, liaising with different parties but it had all paid off. The school grounds looked nothing less than a winter wonderland decked to the nines for the occasion, the trees decorated with snow, more snow covering the ground and winter stations set up over all the school attractions a parent would find appealing and worth the exorbitant fee they were spending for their offspring's education. When it all came together, Azalea had to grudgingly admit Headmaster Kessler had a point. The school looked absolutely stunning, as did all the students now gathered in the grounds, waiting for the opening ceremony.

Some students had taken the winter theme to heart and were dressed accordingly, others had gone for more traditional or modern looks. Overall, the image as diverse and attractive as could be and Azalea could already see camera flashes clicking for the next school newsletter or website promotion.

The brunette and her partner in crime, or rather partner in putting this whole thing together, stood side by side in front of the gathered crowd, all eyes expectantly on them. They had talked about this and both agreed this was a good idea. they had also both landed on making the announcement together in a show of united front. Taking a deep breath, Azalea began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, students, staff, ghosts and ghouls," a little laugh bubbled through the students but the witch did not look up to spot the culprit. 'And Peeves of course." The bubble of laughter grew a little, encouraging her on. "We are absolutely delighted to welcome you to the Hogwarts, twenty-twenty-six Winter Valentine's Affair." the clever little twist on words had been Ivan's idea while Adrienne had wrinkled her nose at the lovey dovey-ness of it all.

"In the tradition of great events held at this institution of fine education, we hope that everyone will enjoy some aspect of the event we've put together with care. We are fully aware that girls don't like dancing, and that boys don't care much for games and contests so we have made every effort to include something for everyone. Our dearest hope tonight is that everyone has a great time. Teachers and parent volunteers are stationed all over the school grounds in case assistance is needed in any manner and our huge selection of hot and cold foods and beverages are available at multiple conveniently located buffet tables throughout the grounds."

Taking another deep breath, the witch continued. 'We've also decided to deviate from tradition slightly by switching up the opening ceremony. And to tell you all about it, I now pass the floor to Professor Newbury, or as he's more commonly known among the student body, Jake."

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Subject: Re: Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:24 pm

The preparation for the event had been difficult. Not because Azalea and he were not capable of preparing something as extravagant as the Ball, but because of the logistics. Jake's time was precious to him, with the small amount of 'free' time he had, it made it hard to liaise with Azalea adequately. But, somehow, they had managed it, and just before the evening was due to start, Jake had applied the final touches to the outside marquee of the ball that overlooked the frozen lake with a sideways, hopeful glance to Azalea to ask if they were done.

The witch had agreed that they had, and without much time to spare, Jake had had just enough time to freshen up for the evening, don his suit and perhaps slightly Gryffindor tie before emerging back at the event ready to welcome everyone to the evening.

Guests were not limited to the Hogwarts students, something they might not all be aware of, but there were parents, guardians and a number of school governors and sponsors in attendance that evening too. A number were already here, and Merlin Jake was thankful he'd never been worried about talking to a large group of people as he looked out across the sea of faces from his place at the front of the hall.

As Azalea greeted the guests, Jake's eyes scanned the room for their daughter, trying to catch a glimpse of the young witch so that he knew where she would be when it came time for the announcement, but for the moment, he could not find the witch. She was here, he knew that much, the young Slytherin would not miss the event. Especially, Jake noted, as his eyes caught those of a certain Frenchman in attendance that evening.

With the speech being passed over, though, Jake smiled politely to the witch beside him before taking the centre stage.

"Thank you, Azalea, good evening everyone. As I'm sure you're all eager to get this evening started, we won't hold you up too much more. As with all Hogwarts traditions, any Ball held within its walls -- or in this case its walls -- is opened with a dance. Usually the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress would take this, but as Professor Kessler pointed out when appointing us this great task, he's not as young as he used to be," the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor paused to allow the soft laughs, looking apologetically to the professor for the quip before he continued on.

"Azalea has told me I have two left feet, so in order to make the first dance not look completely dismal, we would like to ask Mimosa Harrington and Nikolai Kessler to the floor to join us in the first dance of the evening." Jake explained, looking around the crowd to find the two students that both he and Azalea were counting on in that moment. They had both agreed Mimosa would never say no, but it was the Headmaster's son who might throw a spanner in the works.

A polite round of applause started, encouraging the two students to join them, and Jake couldn't help but feel grateful for this idea. Dancing with Azalea wouldn't have looked comfortable.

But dancing with his daughter on Valentine's Day...

It was what had made all of this worth it.

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As the day of the ball slowly approached, Apollonia Leandros had been very much thankful for the fact that they had more than a week to find their dress for said ball. The shops at Hogsmeade had proved a fruitless affair as neither one had a dress that appealed to Apollonia - everything seemed too tacky and costed less than what she was willing to pay for a dress.

She had plans on finding the perfect dress and if that meant shelling out thousands of pounds or hundreds of Galleons for it then so be it - it's not like she was in dire need of money. The Leandros' family were not pureblooded, not anymore at least, but their fortune certainly spoke of the countless of years and centuries that they had been alive. Her part of the fortune was certainly smaller than her siblings but she did have enough in there to buy an eye-catching dress for the ball.

Seeing as she hadn't been able to find the dress that she wanted at Hogsmeade, Apollonia had sent off an owl to her sister with a request to find her a dress that met her requirements. Her sister had proven to be Merlin-sent as not even three days before the ball two owls arrived at the Great Hall carrying a box in between them with her dress. She sent off her reply to her sister through email with a promise of pictures arriving after the ball.

When the day of the ball finally arrived Apollonia had been the first one out of her dorm-mates to fetch her toiletries, bathrobe and towel and head into the shared shower room. The ball was not starting for a good handful of hours but Apollonia needed that time to get her self ready.

Soon enough the other girls from her dorm appeared and the bathroom was filled with giggles and laugher as the five of them showered, shaved and washed their hair.

"Are you going to the ball with anyone Apollonia?" One of her dorm-mates questioned as the red-haired female wrapped slipped on her bathrobe and furiously started drying her hair to at least get it somewhat semi-dry.

"Nope, though I am going together with a group of people." The red-haired witch replied, ignoring the rest of the questions, as she stood in front of a mirror and slowly waved her wand over her head, watching as her strands of hair slowly went from straight to tight curls with a half-updo. It wasn't anything fancy, she didn't want anything fancy, but it was pretty enough and that was enough for the girl who wrinkled her nose just a bit when she noticed the messy buns and quick hair-dos that the other girls of her dorm sported.

As she made her way back to her bed, she flicked her wand and the box containing her dress rose up from underneath the bed and then rested on top of her covers. Undoing the ribbon, she slipped it off and then opened the box, a soft gasp of surprise leaving her lips as she finally set her eyes on the dress that her sister got her.

It was beautiful and, as she stood in front of the mirror, admiring the dress and how she looked, she made a mental note to buy her sister a thank you present for getting her such a beautiful dress. She certainly deserved it.

When the time for the Ball finally arrived Apollonia had happily escaped her dorm, and the panicking girls inside who had thought they had enough time to get everything done, and slowly made her way to the common room where she met up with Nikolai, Mimosa and the rest of the group before all of them made their way to the grounds.

Feeling just a bit out of place the older witch kept a slight distance from the others though close enough to not mistake her for going on her own.

Curiously looking around the beautifully decorated grounds, Apollonia had to admit that Jake and Professor Azalea certainly made an amazing team to have been able to come up with such an elaborate Ball and stunning decorations. It certainly appealed to Apollonia's hidden aristocratic self.

For once Apollonia felt as if she would enjoy herself at this Ball.

Subject: Re: Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony Fri Mar 22, 2019 8:23 am

Ever since the Valentine’s Ball had been announced, Mimosa had just known (with all the assuredness of a twelve year old who always got everything she wanted) that a million billion people would be stepping up to ask her to the dance. She couldn’t help being the most beautiful, popular and smartest person in the school after all, so anyone wanting to go with her couldn’t really be blamed. Sadly, they were just not good enough for her, or at least not good enough to break with her usual tradition of attending such things with her Jacques because he deserved her time more than anyone else, ever!

But that hadn’t stopped the invitations. Ji Hyun had predictably been the first one to step up, trying to corner her after Quidditch practice when she’d hung back to hang out with Mercy. The boy had barely given the Gryffindor a glance as he’d awkwardly pointed out that he and Mimosa should go together as the two most popular kids in Slytherin. Mimosa had merely laughed and reminded him that the most popular Slytherin would always be her Jacques. The next people to approach her had been Charles and Karan, Charles now a lot more forgiving and apparently not at all as invested in Catherine as he was a few weeks ago. The fourth person she had a harder time saying no to because it was Gaspard and well, he had intended to opt out of the dance and enjoy the quiet of the library but then he’d heard the lake was the dance floor and thrown his hat In the ring because he doubted Mimosa’s skating ability.

That was when the plan of going as a group had occurred to the girl. That way, she couldn’t say no to the Ravenclaw but didn’t have to commit either. Unfortunately though, once word got around that Mimosa was going with a group, all the previous rejected offers were back on board. Ji Hyun had not only renewed his efforts by sending Jia En to Mimosa to argue his case and Charles was already roaming the hallways telling people he had a date with the Clement princess.

As the week drew on, Mimosa began to tire of all the stunts people were pulling. Even a fifth year boy approached her while she was at the Gryffindor table, asking if she’d like to go with the tallest boy ever, a suggestion that left her somewhat confused because firstly, he was not the tallest boy ever and secondly, what did height have to do with anything. She’d hurriedly responded that she was going with Squid Boy who was nearly as tall, the idea striking her as she watched Squid Boy enter the Great Hall with some unimportant Hufflepuff.

What she hadn’t counted on was Bushrah overhearing the statement, and she never would have found out either if she and Mercy hadn’t decided to skip charms and duck into the ghost student’s bathroom on the second floor. Tired of being asked by everyone except the one person she actually truly wanted to ask her, Mimosa had begged Mercy to just avoid everyone for the time being and the two girls had sequestered themselves away in the girl’s bathroom where hopefully no boys would pester them. It was Mercy who had first hard and odd sound coming from one of the stalls and Mimosa having no sense of boundaries had easily pushed said stall door open to reveal Bushrah rubbing furiously at her eyes.

The girl probably had allergies.

Feeling bad for her, Mimosa had instructed the Hijabi Gryffindor to wash her face, after all Mimosa was very good at fixing people too. Bushrah had complied silently and within minutes , her eyes were less red and her nose less puffy. After a moment of hesitation, the Arabic girl had turned to Mimosa with something akin to hpe glittering in erh eyes.

“Did Nikolai really ask you to go to the dance with him?”

“Who?”

“Squid Boy, you told Jason that he asked you. Did he?” Bushrah sounded as if she wanted evidence, as if she’d spent a lot of time watching Squid Boy and had heard no such thing.

“Oh yeah, he asked me that one time he was in my bed, or maybe before, I can’t remember,” the third year replied as honestly as her memory would allow. Of course, even if he strictly hadn’t asked her, he had meant to anyway so what was the difference? Everyone knew if Jacques and Mercy weren’t around, he was the person she preferred to spend her time with most. The logic had deflated Bushrah anew, though that was probably her allergies coming back.

In the end, Bushrah had timidly asked her if she too could go with the group too and Mimosa had given a noncommittal yes. It was a group after all, anyone could come. It had also annoyed her slightly to think even a girl had asked her out, just not the one she wanted to be asked out by.

The day of the Valentine’s Ball finally approached and right away, the young model knew she could not get ready in her dorm room with all the other girls disturbing her. So she did what she usually did when preparing for a special occasion. Mimosa walked all the way up to the Room of Requirements and quickly converted it to resembling her boudoir. But this time, she wasn’t alone.

Bright and early that morning, the palace had sent two very special surprises her way, and one of those surprise met her holding the other one. “Michelle!” the child squealed, taking in her former tutor and French bombshell Michelle Rousseau. The blonde also held in her hand a special ox from grandmere and grandpere which was to be opened last of all. The two quickly disappeared into the hidden room behind the clumsy man teaching trolls to dance and the preparations finally began.

Usually, the palace was in charge of Mimosa’s event wardrobe – an every other wardrobe – but this time she had picked out a dress all on her own. The child had had to think really had to be able to represent the theme of Clement, Slytherin and then winter, all in that level of importance and while doing so, had found herself doodling snowflakes on the back of Squid Boy’s book. The pattern had given her an idea, making her jump from his armchair, and then tear out the page from his book to send to the palace to have the head seamstress look it over. In the end, she had been sent a few designs and Mimosa had settled for a simple off shoulder dress that would not get in the way of her skates. The second dress for the Princess/Mermaid consume she had left entirely up to grandmere to decide.

It took almost three hours to do her hair but Michelle was nothing if not thorough. From careful washing, drying to redoing the red locks back into their original mahogany brown and restyling, the older witch worked slowly and carefully so as not to hurt Mimosa, all the while keeping the little girl enthralled with stories of her adventures in Curse Breaking. The child was still not allowed to wear makeup but Professor Harrington was pretty cool and had slipped her a tube of lip gloss that didn’t have any color. It made her lips look shiny and moist without adding any pigment so it didn’t count, or at least that was how Mimosa explained it. Instead Michelle worked with the natural blush of her cheeks and added very subtle glitter to both her hair and eyes to give the effect of a glowing face. The last thing before the palace’s gift to put on her pure white ballet shoes (once again, she had been denied heels, even tiny ones) sent courtesy of Clara who also wanted to contribute to the outfit.

“Can we open it now, can we, can we, can we please?” the young brunette asked, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet and sending her side ponytail swinging with the motion too. Michelle only laughed and turned the deep purple velvet box Mimosa’s way, letting the excited twelve year old open it. Nestled within lay a long string of diamonds with a note in Grandpere’s handwriting. Reaching for the piece of paper and instinctively knowing that it was from both her grandparents, Mimosa tried to read the small message as accurately as as she could.

Diamonds for our little Diamond, but nothing sparkles as brightly as you.

Love
Grandmere and Grandpere

The child’s eyes grew wide as she counted the thirty two diamonds in a row, forming a string that was meant to go around her head, only adding to the glitter effect. The child wore no other jewelry save tiny diamond studs in her ears and those too only because Jacques had given them to her when he’d visited last. In return, she had promised to win the next Slytherin match for him.

Michelle wrapped the glittering chain around the young Slytherin’s head carefully, making sure to keep it clear of the ponytail and braid detail until it rested perfectly on Mimosa’s head. Then, giving her a once over, the blonde deemed the child ready and the took a sulfide to mark the occasion. It had taken almost the whole day to get ready but it was worth it, and now as Mimosa found herself staring at Michelle’s craftsmanship in the seven way mirror, she realized she didn’t just want to walk out into the crowd like that.

Even if Mercy hadn’t asked her or anything, she wanted to show it to her best friend first. Maybe when Mercy saw how pretty looked…. Well, Mimosa wasn’t entirely sure what would happen but it couldn’t be a bad thing right? So wishing Michelle adieu, she sent the Gryffindor a text asking her to meet in front of the RoR tapestry. They could easily walk down to the dungeons together to join the rest of the group. Mercy showed up as expected, and Mimosa stepped out of the tapestry right on cue, employing her well-practiced runway pose to make a good impression. Her neutral expression however was ruined by a giggle as the Gryffindor’s mouth dropped open.

Together, both girls walked hand in hand down to the dungeons, passing very few students and an unusually large number of ghosts who were taking advantage of the empty castle to have a party of their own. On the landing, they ran into Ashley who greeted them both with equal squeals of joy before they dragged her down again to join their group. By the time the three girls arrived in the common room, it was full of students getting ready to go. Mimosa and her fifty dates all looked glammed up for the ball, Squid Boy’s tall frame standing above the rest as he fiddled with something on his coat.

“Hang on,” she excused herself, skipping over to him and brushing his hand aside as she cleaned up the cuffs of his sleeve and adjusted the lapels of his jacket. ‘There, that’s how my Jacques does it,” she finished, neatening his collar slightly too while she was at it. Of course, she was brilliant at even that, as evidenced by the line that began to form behind Ji Hyun who stepped up next to have his obviously askew jacket straightened. Finally, everyone was ready to leave and heading out the door, Seema keeping headcount in her long blue, silver gown. And of course, no one noticed Bushrah had not shown up. No one ever did.

The weather outside was pleasantly cool but not chilly thanks to all the charms cast on the grounds. The temperature was perfect enough to be refreshing and not make anyone sweat yet warm enough that no extra layer of clothing were necessary atop the usual warming spells. Mimosa stood in the crowd tucked safely between Mercy and Squid Boy while Jake and Miss Harrington stepped up to make the announcement, and when they said that students would be opening the dance with them, the child let out an excited squeak. She just knew one of those students would be her, she just knew it! Her eyes searched the area listlessly for Jacques, he had to come and see her open the dance or he would miss the most important part of the whole event.

When hers was one of the two names announced, she automatically grabbed Squid Boy’s hand. “Let’s go,’ she breathed out excitedly, not caring that his name hadn’t been called. If she brought him with her, they would take him anyway. Walking daintily up to the teachers holding the tall boy’s hand, she slipped into a neat curtsey. ‘Is it okay if Squid Boy opens instead?” she asked, making both teachers laugh. The music began to play as Jake moved towards her with a hand held out, Miss Harrington doing almost the same with Squid Boy except she didn’t have to bend down because he was nearly her height now.

Slowly, the lively music began, keeping them on their feet and within a few minutes, other couples were joining them on the dance floor, the ball had officially begun.

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Subject: Re: Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony Sun Mar 24, 2019 10:45 am

The Valentine's Day Ball...

Nikolai Kessler did not like parties. Nikolai Kessler did not like big events that were hosted at the school which expected him to attend due to his link with the Headmaster to ensure it didn't look odd. He really didn't like big crowds of people because it grew too much for him.

But nobody ever asked Nikolai what he wanted.

It had become apparent almost immediately that he was going to have to go to ensure that Ji Hyun didn't try to make himself an advantage by going to the Ball and dancing with Mimosa all evening and perhaps getting even further than that. Not that Nikolai was interested in anything further than dancing with Mimosa, dancing with Mimosa Harrington-Clement was going to be a chore enough in this moment without having to think of anything more.

Then, of course, the shock of being asked to the Ball by Apollonia had made him put himself in a position that made things even worse. He was going to have to go to the Ball now because he'd promised to go with the fifth year, and dance with her at the Ball. Which wasn't completely his fault, he'd panicked upon being asked by the beautiful redheaded witch and sealed his fate in the same sentence.

Whilst everyone else grew more and more excited with the event coming up, Nikolai did not. His mood by the time the evening came was frosty to say the least. Where the rest of his house had been talking excitedly about what they were going to wear, Nikolai had just picked out a shirt and tie, a jacket, and a pair of slacks. Matched the slacks with a belt and shoes, and decided that it would do. It wasn't as if he was going to be on display all that much if he could help it. Just somewhere in the background for the most part, unless Mimosa wanted to dance, or Apollonia took him up on the offer of dancing with her.

Ji Hyun, and the other boys had -- if the stink in the room was anything to go by -- bathed in some kind of aftershave that Nikolai found to be overpowering, so after changing in to his own clothes, the boy had returned to the Common Room with his book to wait for their group to form.

It was more than an hour later that people started to come down. Ji Hyun being one of the first in his impeccable tuxedo, hair looking like it held way too much gel to keep it in place, and the awfully over potent smell of aftershave following him. Some of the older students came through the common room, hurrying around before heading out to find their dates, but by the time they'd all agreed to meet, the common room was full.

Except for Mimosa Harrington-Clement.

Apollonia had arrived, and Nikolai had put his book down to go over to speak the witch, gently -- and with somewhat reddened cheeks -- telling her that she looked 'really good' in her dress. Far be it for Nikolai to be able to deliver a well thought out compliment faced with a witch who's dress barely covered her bum, the boy simply kept his eyes averted, hoping she wouldn't get in trouble for her choice of attire.

That, though, was pulled from Nikolai's mind upon the arrival of Mimosa. Her ensemble screamed of the life she lived at the Palace. The dress clearly expensive, the shoes delicate, proper, and flat. Nikolai knew she detested that, but it seemed whoever was in charge of her wardrobe had held fast on this point once more. The witch sparkled from Nikolai's vantage point, glitter running across her cheeks and through her hair, only enhancing the dazzling effect of the diamonds atop the small witch's head and attached to her ears. The money that all of that must have cost to pull off made Nikolai feel sick, barely managing to keep his eyes off of the witch's ensemble in case he missed something.

His own hands must have moved to worry over his jacket as he did so, because as Mimosa moved to him, and pushed his hands away, Nikolai realised he'd been fiddling with the material. Mimosa's hands moved to neaten him up, and the boy simply took the moment to take in the diamonds atop her head, now glinting right before his eyes.

How was that level of money even possible?

"There, that’s how my Jacques does it,"

Nikolai's features turned in to a frown at that. Her Jacques does it that way, he mocked in his head, but Mimosa had already gone before he could say anything, lining up the other boy's jackets in the same fashion before they were all ready to go.

Mood now highly diminished, Nikolai followed the group out of the common room, keeping himself ahead of Ji Hyun by Mimosa's side but not uttering a word to anyone.

Another time, Nikolai might have taken a moment to marvel at the decor, but his mood was set in 'grumpy' mode at that moment. Mimosa was the centre of attention anyway, so he didn't need to speak, simply be there. They found themselves a space towards the front -- because obviously Mimosa had to see everything -- and Nikolai settled in for the evening of boredom.

Professor Harrington -- looking breathtaking in her dress, and perhaps lightening Nikolai's mood marginally when he first saw her -- and Jake took up their positions at the front of the hall. The explanation of the evening was brief enough, but with a slight joke at his dad's expense, Nikolai's lips touched slightly in to a smile. Only slightly though.

And only for a moment.

"Azalea has told me I have two left feet, so in order to make the first dance not look completely dismal, we would like to ask Mimosa Harrington and Nikolai Kessler to the floor to join us in the first dance of the evening."

Colour drained from Nikolai's features in that moment.

His heartbeat grew ever so loud in his eyes.

A slight wave of dizziness touched him.

He was going to have to open the dance with Mimosa? The boy wanted to shake his head, but he'd frozen in that moment. Dancing in front of a large crowd? Of fellow students, professors, the school governing body and parents? He couldn't do this! He didn't want to do this!

But Mimosa's hand was already in his, she was saying something but he didn't hear it as she pulled him forwards towards the dance floor.

I can't dance, Nikolai tried to say, but his words would not come out in that moment, instead leaving him mute as he walked hand in hand with the Harrington-Clement princess until they stood before the two professors.

Somewhere, though, Mimosa's hand left his, and instead he found himself holding Professor Harrington's hand as they readied themselves for the first dance. A quickly uttered whisper from the professor denoted he needed to put his hand on her waist, and on auto-pilot, Nikolai complied. Baffled by all of this, it took the boy a moment to follow the professor's lead -- he still couldn't dance, even if he wanted to -- before he found his mind catching back up.

Only to go reeling back off again.

He was dancing with Professor Harrington.

The most beautiful teacher in the school.

Perhaps ever -- and by ever, Nikolai meant the three years he'd been at the school.

"I... umm.. you... uh." Nikolai caught himself, before trying again. "Youlookverybeautifultonight, Professor." Nikolai managed, before giving the professor a goofy smile that he hoped looked cool but most certainly didn't in that moment.

He couldn't help it, though.

He was dancing with Professor Harrington!

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Subject: Re: Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:37 am

As Jake completed the introduction, inserting the humorous anecdote of his two left feet (he probably didn't even know he danced much better than she did now), Azalea's eyes searched the crowd subtly, trying to locate her daughter. Finding Mimosa wasn't hard, the girl literally glittered among her otherwise more subdued friends. And as always, her daughter was bewitching, underlying once again that she was the only thing Jake and Azalea had managed to get right.

When the two had discussed students for the opening ceremony, Mimosa had been a natural. Popular, Quidditch team, Student of the Year, there were no qualms about them flavoring their child due to her biological heritage. Deciding on a boy had been harder but eventually they had settled on the Kessler kid to make the Headmaster happy and because he was always found wherever Mimosa was.

The witch smiled kindly as he stepped up to her, awkwardness dripping off his lanky frame. Whether it was because he was uncomfortable or just surprised, or a combination of the two, Azalea couldn't say. But the maternal instinct in her immediately reached out to make the boy more at home. "Hey Nikolai, wanna hear a secret,' she whispered as the two took their positions, Mimosa and Jake only a few feet away from them. Out of the corner of her eye, Azalea saw her daughter take position with perfect ease, no bashfulness or uncertainty about her.

"I can't really dance, so you're in charge okay?" The boy nodded mutely as the music began, making them both sway slowly, Azalea doing her best to guide his suddenly flat feet.

"I... umm.. you... uh." Nikolai caught himself, before trying again. "Youlookverybeautifultonight, Professor."

Amusement danced in her eyes as as saw through his nervousness. Usually so articulate, Nikolai Kessler had now found himself tongue tied and rushing over his words. None of that amusement solidified into a laugh though. The last thing the witch wanted was to make him feel more self conscious. 'Why thank you. Do you know you're the very first person to tell me that tonight?" she informed him, hoping to stoke his intellectual curiosity and steer him back into his comfort zone. "Honestly I was starting to get a little worried,' she laughed, affecting embarrassment. "Though I'm sure plenty of girls would agree you look rather ashing tonight too, make sure to save them all a dance okay?"

By now, at least a dozen other couples had joined them on the dance floor, and the final notes of the first song were resonating to an end. Beside them, Jake had neatly swung Mimosa out who had twirled beautifully on her feet before finishing the number with a courtesy so easy, it looked like she practiced every day. Perhaps their daughter had inherited the dance moves Azalea only remembered as a memory now?

"Well Nikolai, time for you to dance with someone your own age,' the brunette encouraged, nudging him towards Mimosa who too had just freed herself of Jake. Taking the excuse to vacate the dance floor discretely, the witch stood to the side, keeping on eye on the two Slytherins. With the opening completed, Azalea could safely disappear into the background. Tonight was not about her.

It was about all the brilliant students gathered out in the grounds despite the cold, waiting to have the time of their lives.

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Subject: Re: Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:56 pm

As their daughter made her way on to the dance floor, Jake couldn't help but be wowed by her outfit. His daughter was ever so beautiful, and her choice of dress and all the accessories only made her beauty that bit more pronounced. Despite himself, Jake looked across to Azalea with a smile that would say 'we did good' before his attention returned to the younger Harrington witch.

Her question of bringing 'Squid Boy' instead of Nikolai simply made Jake chuckle softly, agreeing to her words because it was a joke their daughter had done so very well with. As Azalea took Nikolai off to dance, Jake moved forth to take his daughter's hand, only pausing to return her curtsy with a small bow of his own.

As Mimosa's hand came in to his, Jake twirled her around in a careful circle before bringing her back to him and gently placing his hand on her waist and following the sound of the music. He had to stoop a little to be able to dance with Mimosa, but it wasn't uncomfortable, and after a few moments, Jake considered his options.

Could he tell Mimosa how beautiful she looked that evening?

No, as her professor that would definitely be frowned upon...

Then... he could say he liked her outfit?

No, again, that would be frowned upon.

So, Jake decided on another route.

"How do you like the set up for this evening, Mimosa?" He asked, opting for the safest point of conversation as they moved gracefully together around the dance floor. His eyes didn't move from the younger witch. It was the first time he'd danced with his daughter. The first time he'd come this close to her.

Once again, the sharp pain of not being able to tell her the truth about who he was registered in his chest, but nobody would know it from the outside. It was just one of those things that he'd come to accept now, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt from time to time.

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Subject: Re: Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony Mon Mar 25, 2019 1:24 pm

Dancing came second nature to any child of the palace, and Mimosa was more special than anyone else! She already knew half a dozen dances perfectly and was working with Michelle on the other dozen or so routines. Jake didn't even choose a challenging step as he held her hand, leading her into a slow twirly bit that left her cheeks flushed from the cold and the glitter swaying softly in her high ponytail.

"How do you like the set up for this evening, Mimosa?"

"I like it," she chirped happily as she swayed in her pristine ballet shoes. "You and Miss Harrington did a good job, you guys should do more stuff together." The Potions Assistant who was dancing with Squid Boy (and not half as gracefully as she was) was cool in her own way, especially when she handed Mimosa illegal contraband such as lip gloss.

"After I'm done dancing with everyoneeeee, I'm going to do the Princess/Mermaid competition," she announced happily as the music continued. "I don't even know my costume yet because grandmere had it made but I'm sure it's amazing. Grandmere has the best ever taste in clothes. I wish she was here today but she and Grandpere are super important so they have to be in Versailles."

Thinking on it for a moment, the girl addressed her next question to Jake. "Do you think I should go as a Princess or a Mermaid? I know Seema is going as a Mermaid and I don't want to be the same as her. But I think more people will try for Princess. Do you think I'll win? Oh, never mind, of course I will." For the remainder of the dance, Mimosa chatted happily until the music came to an end, signifying the first dance over. But before she left Jake on his own to find a new partner, the girl turned to him one last time.

"Oh, and we can take a picture at the photo booth later, I can put it on my wall!" With that, she was bouncing off once more, heading towards Squid Boy who too had just been freed up.

All the while searching pointedly for the one person that was missing, the one person needed to complete the entire evening.

Her Jacques.

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Subject: Re: Winter Valentine: Opening Ceremony Mon Mar 25, 2019 1:42 pm

Nikolai couldn't believe the professor when she pointed out that he was the first one to tell her that she looked really beautiful that evening. His confusion touched his features pointedly as he tried to keep the dance moving but he ended up kind of failing at anything past an awkward shuffle with the older witch. "Not even Professor Newbury? I mean, Jake?" Nikolai asked, glancing across at the professor who'd accompanied Professor Harrington to the ball with mild confusion on his features.

"I don't really dance..." Nikolai tried to point out to the professor as she asked him to save the other girls a dance that evening, but he kept ahold of the fact Professor Harrington thought he looked dashing that evening. A compliment from Professor Harrington? The smile upon his lips grew, and he relaxed a little in that moment. Perhaps he could pull off this Ball thing? If the Professor thought so, he had to be on the right track, right?

But his thoughts were kept on the dance, trying not to step on the professor's toes as they danced around in a small circle, not really doing well to make it look good. It was growing to be more comfortable, though.

Of course, just as you became comfortable with something, you would be pulled away from it, which was shown just a few moments later as Professor Harrington insisted he go dance with Mimosa and gently disentangled herself from his hold as they drew close to Jake and Mimosa's dancing. The Gryffindor Head of House seemed to be working on the same plan, too, for not a moment later, Nikolai found himself face to face with Mimosa who looked much too happy with herself after dancing with the professor.

"Professor Harrington suggested I dance with you..." Nikolai explained awkwardly, pausing a moment before offering his hand to the witch and hoping that she would take it. They were, after all, in the middle of the dance floor, the music was just changing to the next track, and more than a handful of eyes were on them from around the room. "Please can... do you ask for a dance?" Nikolai asked, confusion touching his features as he looked to Mimosa to explain because he wasn't really sure if that was the done thing, or just one of those things movies always did.

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Finishing her perusal of the attendees to the ball -she noticed more than one Hogwarts alumni, sponsors and parents of the students that attended, her own not there for obvious reasons- the beautiful witch turned back to the dancing in the middle of the circle that they all made around Jake Newbury, Azalea Harrington, Mimosa Harrington-Clement and Nikolai Kessler.

As she watched the two professors dancing with their students she also watched as other couples daringly made their way to join in the dance, not all of them being as graceful as the two main pairs though so she didn't pay them any mind.

She clapped politely with the rest of the watching students and adults as the opening dance was done and she felt her lips twitch in a small, amused smile as Nikolai slowly, almost unsurely, approached Mimosa. She couldn't tell what was being said but from the look of confusion on his face, she could guess that he was asking for a dance from Mimosa.

Shaking her head, Apollonia turned and smiled politely as Sterling approached her with an invitation to dance; not one to refuse, Apollonia took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor where the male led her in a somewhat stifled version of a waltz, making her bite the inside of her cheek to stifle her giggles. Despite his cocky attitude and assured self, it was clear to Apollonia that he did not have any sort of experience in formal dancing.

"Calm down." She whispered quietly, tightening her hand in his and making him look straight at her face. "Don't look down at your feet but straight up, either at me or just above my shoulder. Take a deep breath and follow my steps."

And she seamlessly moved from him leading her to her leading him, she noticed how he seemed to come down from his nervous moves. Patting herself mentally on her back for it, Apollonia led the Hufflepuff in the dance, beaming at him when he finally got the rhythm and they flowed back into him leading her once more.

As the dance came to an end, Apollonia curtsied the male and followed him off the dance floor to the refreshment table where she grabbed a glass of water and sipped it, deciding to forgo the glasses of wine for now.

» Winter Valentine: Winter Princess/Mermaid Fashion Show
» Winter Valentine: Snow Sculpting Contest
» Winter Valentine: Reindeer Racing Track
» A Sorting Ceremony For Three (Closed)
» An Unconventional Opening (Lisabeth & Josh)