The Christmas Ball

Posts : 1364 Join date : 2015-12-20

The Christmas Ball

Come one, come all
To Hogwarts' Christmas Ball!

It's the time of year where the festivities are at their fullest. The Headmaster has announced (in his somewhat jovial state) that a Christmas Ball will be held for all those staying over the holidays.

On the evening of the 25th December a ball will take place. Magic and splendor will fill the air, ladies in the beautiful dresses, and the young men in all their finery. It will be a night to be remembered by all. And who knows what delights will be brought before us all.

With dance floors for the active, tables for the watchers and food for all, Hogwarts has put on quite the evening for all those who remain at the school. Even a band, known to young wizards and witches alike have been brought to you for the evening.

So, without further ado...

Merry Christmas, to you!

Guest

Christmas had come around much too quickly in TJ's books. Another full moon had passed with little and less self-destruction, and still TJ didn't know why there had been the change. All he knew was that he felt better after each full moon - yes, he still ached from the transformation, and the days running up to the transformation had him run down, but his recovery was quicker, and he didn't feel... so much of a monster.

The trouble with Christmas coming around so soon was that TJ hadn't known what gift to get for Amethyst. What did you get a witch who didn't seem to need anything? TJ didn't know, really.

But, TJ had ordered the witch the largest lollipop selection you could buy from Honeydukes, and it'd come wrapped up in a hamper that would at least show he'd put some thought in to it. And, alongside the hamper, TJ had bought his girlfriend an encyclopedia of Astronomy, written by some famous Astronomer that TJ hadn't heard of. He hoped she'd like it, as he knew Astronomy was one of her favourite subjects. It wasn't much, not really, but TJ thought it showed that he knew her, her likes, and her favourites. The card that accompanied the package had been simple in it's message, TJ had pained over something more extravagant in the Ravenclaw Tower the night before, only to write simply "To my beautiful girlfriend, Happy 1st Christmas - I can't wait for tonight! Love TJ x"

They'd had lunch together, and TJ had arranged for the package to be put on Amy's bed for when she returned later that afternoon. When they'd parted to get ready, TJ couldn't help but feel excited for that evening.

The Ball...

TJ had opted for a simple suit - not a bow tie suit, because he didn't really feel comfortable in that, and likely wouldn't use it again. No, instead he'd opted for a black suit, and black tie (he had no idea what Amethyst was wearing, so matching was not something he could have done). He'd tried to tame his hair for the evening, but it seemed the forces of nature were against him. A light stubble touched his chin that evening, and TJ made no effort in tidying that, he liked the stubble at the moment.

At five to seven, TJ had left the Ravenclaw tower, moving to the Entrance Hall to wait for Amy to appear from the dungeons. He, strangely, felt nervous that evening. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that this was a very big milestone in their relationship. Yes, they'd been dating for two months now, but today seemed... special. Rocking back and forth on his heels, TJ waited patiently, trying to picture the dress Amy would have chosen for the evening - though, he realised a moment later, it wouldn't matter what dress she wore, to him, Amy would always be beautiful.

Guest

For Amethyst, this was the big day. It was the day of the Ball, and the first Christmas she was going to spend with her boyfriend. Someone who actually cared for her. Not that her mother or sister didn't care for her, but it seemed like Sapphire was their favorite child. Amethyst was not someone they really had much love for. Which was totally unfair, thinking that she had given them everything she could. She was the best at whatever she did, but well, she could never be Sapphire, could she?

Sighing, Amy tried not to think much of that. The only thing this would do is ruin this day for her, something she wasn't going to allow to happen. Not now and possibly not in the future. Her days with TJ were what brought her most happiness. Where she could be herself and have someone be there for her, not to criticize her but to love her for what she really was.
Even for her flaws. And the witch already knew she had quite a few of them.

Though what expected her in her room, when she returned from lunch, was the biggest surprise. Walking inside her dorm, excited to get ready for the evening that was to follow, Amy came face to face with a hamper, and next to it was lying an encyclopedia of Astronomy. The blonde witch squealed from happiness and quickly ran to her bed, looking for the card.

"To my beautiful girlfriend, Happy 1st Christmas - I can't wait for tonight! Love TJ x"

Amethyst bit her lip, her smile wider as ever as she held the card against her heart, the happiness overwhelming her. TJ was the best boyfriend she could ever wish for, and she couldn't believe he had spent his savings on all of these! He was crazy, she was sure, but she was so happy he had bought her something as well.
Placing the card aside, she quickly turned her attention to the hamper, filled with loads of lollipops, and she giggled. TJ remembered her favorite sweets, which meant he cared. He paid attention to her likes.

"Merlin... I can't believe he's my boyfriend!" She screamed happily, laying back into her bed and staring at the ceiling. She was so excited that she couldn't even move! This was combined with how nervous she was as well, since she wanted to be pretty for TJ. She always wanted to make him feel handsome next to her, not drag him down with her looks or attitude.

Jumping right back up again, Amethyst looked around, placing her beautiful presents aside and laying her beautiful dress on the bed instead. It looked so pretty, and she had never even worn this before. She really liked it though, and she hoped TJ would like it as well. Truth be told, she was kind of worried that it wouldn't match his outfit, since they hadn't talked about it at all, but Amethyst didn't care too much. Whatever he was wearing, it would still be TJ, and he would still be the most handsome man in her eyes.

After having a quick shower and using her wand to dry her hair, Amethyst looked around for the new underwear she had chose for today. She wasn't planning on anything big, but you never knew! And she wanted this day to be special either way. Putting the beige bra and matching thong -yes, she had to wear a thong with this dress- on, she moved towards her bed and smiled.

Biting her lip, she softly took her dress and slowly slipped inside it, giggling as she instantly felt like a princess. Amethyst didn't really dress up like this, so the feeling was new. But she kind of felt beautiful. Which was good.

Looking around her trunk, she found her black pumps and put them on, walking around the room a couple of times to get used to them. She had worn heels before, but it wasn't her usual type of footwear.

As for makeup and hair, Amethyst wasn't a fan of anything big. Soft curls went down her back, and she decided this was just fine. And as far as makeup goes, just a little bit of eyeliner to enhance her eyes, and some mascara and the lips were colored in a nude matte shade. That was enough, and she didn't need to add anything else, she believed.

Spraying some perfume to finish her look, Amethyst turned around just as the sound of apparation touched her ears. The cute little house elf, a friend of hers, stood there looked up at her in awe. "Miss Amethyst looks really pretty!"
Amethyst giggled and blew a little kiss to the creature, before grabbing her own present for TJ from underneath her bed along with a little card that wrote 'For the most talented Quidditch Player I've ever met. Fly safely - Amy x' and handing it to the little elf. "I want you to take this to TJ's room, okay Minnie?"

The elf nodded and with a crack, it had disappeared from her room, leaving Amy alone again. Looking around, she made sure everything was set. She was ready, TJ's present would be in his room for him to find later today, so everything was okay. Amethyst too, remembered what TJ liked, and bought him the latest Comet model. She knew that this was what TJ intended to buy for himself after Christmas, but she was faster than him on that.

Once she was sure everything was okay, she exited her dorm and Common Room, slowly making her way up the stairs. Small and steady steps until she reached the top of the last set of stairs. Slowly, she appeared from the dungeon, a slight blush on her cheeks as her eyes landed on TJ. He was already waiting for her there, which made her want to giggle. He was such a prince.

Keeping her head kind of low, she made her way towards TJ with small steps. She wasn't really used to the heels, but she was walking just find, surprisingly.
She stopped just a few inches away from him and looked up into his eyes.
Amethyst was so nervous about what he was going to say so she remained silent until he made a move.

Guest

Thankfully, TJ hadn't had to wait too long, otherwise he might have worried Amethyst wasn't coming, or that she'd forgotten, or a million other things TJ was incredily worried about. But, all those thoughts were banished when Amethyst stepped in to the Entrance Hall, and TJ's heart skipped a beat. She looked beautiful, and the dress was exquisite.

His eyes had gone a little wide as Amethyst made her way over to him, and a smile had touched TJ's lips.

He had absolutely no idea how he'd found such a beautiful girlfriend, truth be told, but he was so, so glad that he had found someone as beautiful as Amethyst that could accept his condition. As Amy stopped before him, TJ took in the dress in its entirety from their position, his smile growing in that moment before his eyes moved to hers. If you knew TJ enough, you would be able to see he was overwhelmed, in a good way, by the evening. Happiness flooding his body as he looked at her.

"You... look exquisite." TJ told her softly, taking the step towards Amy that she'd left. "I'm the luckiest man in the world, not just tonight, but every day." He told her, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Oh, and I almost forgot!" TJ added, pulling away and shaking his head at his silliness. Slipping a hand in to his pocket, TJ pulled out the boxed corsage that he'd bought for her, together with one for himself. "I know I should have checked colours, but I only remembered after lunch this afternoon, and it was too late by then. But, apparently this is a tradition, and I thought the wrong colour was better than nothing."

The explanation might not have been necessary, but TJ took the piece from the box and tied it carefully around Amethyst's wrist, before pinning his own to his suit. Looking in to her eyes, a hopeful smile on his lips, TJ went through everything in his head, making sure he'd gotten everything right for her, before nodding.

"Merry Christmas!" TJ finished, taking her hand and showing the witch in to the Great Hall where they would spend the evening.

Guest

Amethyst had never been in a similar situation before, which made her feel kind of uncomfortable because she didn't know what exactly she was supposed to be doing. Was she doing it right? Was she doing something wrong? Only TJ would be able to tell her, and since she was really scared about it, she preferred to keep her eyes down, afraid of what she would see. Disapproval? Disgust?

But that was not how TJ felt about her, right? How would he look at her this way when there was so much more between these two? Amethyst didn't know, and she was simply scared about doing something wrong, because today was their night, and she wanted this to be magical. In any way.

"You... look exquisite."

Her eyes snapped up in that instant, looking deeply into his. He approved! Amethyst smiled widely, not able to hold back the happiness that took over her in that moment. She was so relieved that what she had done was right and that he actually liked what she had picked out. They had never talked about colors and such, so it was not something they had agreed on.

The kiss on her lips was welcomed as she kissed him back just as softly, before pulling back and watching as he fumbled with something. She didn't know what it was but once he opened the box and revealed a beautiful corsage, Amethyst giggled and bit her lip. It was so thoughtful and beautiful and she could only hug him in response, kissing his cheek softly.

"I know I should have checked colours, but I only remembered after lunch this afternoon, and it was too late by then. But, apparently this is a tradition, and I thought the wrong colour was better than nothing."

Amethyst laughed softly and shook her head at TJ. He was being so cute and silly and suddenly her nervousness was all gone. She felt at ease with TJ. She felt happy, and she wanted to spend the rest of the night, -maybe the rest of her life too-, with TJ.

"I don't care about the color, idiot," she said playfully as he tied it around her wrist.
"I care about you."
There, she had said it. She had been wanting to say this for some times now, and she was sure she had shown this in many ways to him, but she still wanted to voice it. Or better, she wanted to voice something else as well, but that was going to wait for a little bit.

"Merry Christmas!"

As he took her hand, Amethyst stood on her tip toes and gave him a little kiss on the lips.
"Merry Christmas, my little wolf."

Guest

Truth be told, Finley did not wish to attend the ball. Why? There were people, and as much as he might have started to conquer his fear of being around others, Finley was still not one hundred percent confident in himself either. Going home was not an option, the older he got, the more he seemed to understand that the behaviour of his father was not okay. Finley didn't wish to deal with him, so he had opted to stay at school for the holidays.

However, being a Prefect, and staying back at school meant that Finley had been roped in to helping with the ball. Whilst he didn't mind doing the decorations, being asked to go and keep on eye on people's behaviour was not something he wanted to do. Especially after the last time he'd tried to be authorative. That had gone absolutely and completely wrong. The badge was not nearly as powerful as people thought, especially with someone like Finley behind it.

But, Finley being Finley, he did what he was told. Getting dressed in to the suit his mum had sent for the occasion, Finley let out a sigh. He looked stupid, he felt stupid, and this whole thing was stupid.

Not to mention it was his birthday, and if anyone caught wind of that during the celebration... Finley knew he was going to die of embarrassment. Heading in to the hall - past a couple from the older years who looked very caught up on one another, Finley made his way to the food table, not looking for anyone in particular because he was 'on duty'.

Guest

The playful mannerisms of Amethyst made TJ smile. He knew she didn't mean it when she called him an idiot for worrying about colour. Truth be told, he worried about everything that had anything to do with Amy, because she mattered, and he simply did not want to upset her, in any manner. As problematic as that might be, TJ would not change the way he thought for anything, she was important to him. The only real friend he had, and his girlfriend.

"I care about you."

Those words were enough for TJ's cheeks to get a light flush of pink through them. Though, he had a small amount of stubble that hopefully made the effects less noticeable. "I know." TJ responded softly, not quite being able to say something similar back. Not because he wouldn't mean it, but because he wasn't one hundred percent sure how to tell Amy how much she meant to him. That was something the Ravenclaw was yet to work on, finalise, but he would, he knew he would tell her one day exactly how he felt.

"Merry Christmas, my little wolf."

A glimmer of uncertainty touched TJ's features at that nickname. Only for a second, as he realised that if Amy was okay with that, saying something like that in public, then he wouldn't worry. She was happy, and he simply could not deny her that much. "Come on, let's get a table, then... we could dance?" TJ proposed, leading her in to hall. He couldn't dance, truth be told, but he was not going to let this night go to waste. This was going to be perfect, that much TJ was certain of.

Guest

The Christmas ball had not only appealed to Madison, it had provided a perfect opportunity to take the game to the next
level. Only, part of her wasn't exactly sure if it was a game anymore. Finley was... Different. In all senses of the word, in all the possible meanings it could have taken on, he was that. And what was worse was that he made her feel different, too. Emotions weren't something she felt a lot of.

Happiness, pleasure, satisfaction... These were the things she knew. But what made humans, well, humans? No, she didn't understand those: remorse, compassion, empathy, love. It just didn't make sense to her, and those were not something that ever invaded her. Until Finley. He made her feel guilty when he got hurt and made her want to make him feel better when he was upset. It was different, and it was weird, and she wasn't quite sure she liked it.

But they were there, and she couldn't do anything about it, except try and convince herself it wasn't there and that she was still playing him, although that annoying small voice at the back of her head that only was present when he was around kept telling her that wasn't true.

Nirek was another issue, but she was a convincing liar, and she managed to explain away a lot of her actions, and most of the time, convinced herself, too.

Except for tonight.

There was no lie in the world - no manipulator in existence - that could have made her believe she was doing this for the sake of the game.

Dressed in the dress that most skirted the dress code without actually breaking it, Madison entered the hall and looked around. For anyone else, the beauty would have taken their breath away or made them pause in admiration, but to the witch, it was merely another event, and beauty was lost on her.

Instead, she glanced around the room, her eyes only lighting up as she spotted Finley. Walking across the room, she didn't hesitate, each step oozing with the confidence she always had and very quickly found herself beside him.

"Hey there, Finn," she greeted, keeping her tone soft and gentle. It wasn't by force, now, and she found it came naturally whenever she talked to him. "I was afraid you wouldn't come. It would have been dull without you. I'm glad you're here. You look amazing." The words came with ease, and, more surprisingly, actual truth. Again, different, but she pushed that idea out from her mind, and instead focused on smiling at the Ravenclaw.

Guest

The evening had barely begun and the hall was filled. Finley was simply glad he was stationed by the door, so that he could slip away if this all grew too much. Perhaps that had been planned by the Headmaster? Finley didn't know, because he still thought Professor Jameson had lost it when he had put the badge on Finley's chest.

His eyes were moving over the crowd, not really staying on one person at anyone time because he didn't wish to get caught staring. That would likely cause trouble that he simply didn't wish to think about in that moment.

But as his head moved to looking straight forward, something held his eye that he had not been expecting. Madison. A small smile touched Finley's lips at the sight of the Slytherin. She looked... his eyes moved down, taking in the dress, and seeing the slit by her leg, moved back up instantly. Swallowing softly, Finley tried to keep his mind from wandering - not in an adult way, he was working, and Madison...

"Hey there, Finn,"

"H-hi." Finley responded, his throat feeling rather dry all of a sudden as Madison had picked him out. She was beautiful, Finley could never deny that, but he knew that there was no way in the world she would ever like him. He was just... Finley, after all.

"I didn't w-want to come." Finley admitted softly when she said she didn't think he would be here. His hand moved up to his chest where the blue prefect badge sat, indicating that this was the only reason he'd come to the ball in the first place. Had Finley of had his own way, he'd be tucked up in his bed upstairs reading his new book that he'd received for Christmas. One about the making of a Muggle film that had come out just over a year ago, Star Wars.

The compliment though, made Finley's cheeks flush pink, his eyes moving away from the witch for a moment because she'd made him feel... unusual. "You... umm... you look b-beautiful." Finley replied, his eyes glancing up at hers after the last word before looking away. "Y-your dress... is beautiful." Finley added, or maybe corrected, he wasn't sure what he was trying to say, truth be told, but it was out now, and he couldn't do anything about that.

Guest

Watching Finley closely, Maddie couldn't help but feel a tad bit smug at his reaction. It was what she had expected, and it was what she had dressed for. A bubble of laughter rose, but she bit it down as she tracked his eye movements. Ever so casually, she twisted a little, as though looking around the room, and let the material fall to cover the slit. It had achieved its purpose, and there was no point in keeping it out in the open when she wanted to converse with Finley.

"I didn't w-want to come."

She let out a small laugh. "It wouldn't have been the same if you were off reading or doing homework," she said, just a hint of dry humour infusing her tone. She reached out and very gently touched his arm, letting it linger there for the space of a heartbeat before retreating and offering him a huge smile. "I'm glad you're here."

At the compliment, she blinked, feigning a look of surprise, and then glanced down at herself. "What, this?" She shook her head. "No, I'm not half as beautiful as some of the others in the room." This was a lie. Madison Bishop was not insecure, and she knew exactly how to manipulate her looks to get the attention of almost anyone in the room. Once she had her sights set on someone, there was no going back; she went all out, and owned dresses and outfits that would give both her parents a heart attack.

Looking pointedly at the food table nearby, she said, "How about some food, Finn? I, for one, am rather peckish."

» The Clement Christmas Ball (Open to All)
» The Clement Christmas Ball (Purebloods (of Status) Only)
» The Main Ball
» Cammie Genevieve Danvers-Smith
» Christmas with the Kesslers