Spring Formal ((Main Thread))

First topic message reminder :

Twas the night before the spring equinox, and every corridor in Hogwarts had been filled with excitement and anxiety as the annual Spring Formal finally arrived. Many students spent the day down in Hogsmeade preparing for the big night while others worried that it’d end up a disaster just like the pre-season dance. What if the horde of toads returned to invade the Great Hall? What if someone else ended up being dramatically outed over the PA system?

Although Camille had been working hard to make sure this would be a night to remember, there were many concerns in the back of her mind. She was afraid that the community was beginning to lose confidence in her, which meant this was her one shot to prove them all wrong. If both students and staff were happy, the Board of Governors and parents would be happy, which would let her be happy. This needed to go well and be the best night Hogwarts has ever had!

As usual, the Great Hall’s ceiling showed off the starry, starry sky that cloaked the castle. All around the hall were arrays of blooming gargantuan flowers that let off a pleasing aroma, similarly to what one would find from Amortentia. The lighting was dim with streaks of purples, blues, and pinks illuminating the glittery, starlike floor that glowed with every footstep. Around where the usual podium and staff table would be was a stage for  a live band to perform all sorts of popular songs both wizarding and muggle. In another corner of the Great Hall was a caricature artist and opposite of the artist was a professional photographer. To her, it was a guaranteed safe and fun way for the students to have fun mementos to remember the night.

Stepping to the podium, Camille tested the microphone with a wide smile. Then, she waved and looked over at all of the students, chaperones, guests, and governors as she began her speech, "Welcome everyone to the annual Hogwarts Spring Formal!" Despite the starry theme, there were plenty of flowers to be seen within the crowd of couples. "The past few weeks and months have been nothing short of eventful, but our Hogwarts spirit allowed us to get through it without being knocked down! As we near the end of term, finals, examinations, and the summer holiday, take a moment to congratulate yourself and your peers for all of the progress made in all of your years here! Tonight is all about fun and rewarding all of you for your hard work! Have fun, be safe, be kind!"

As soon as the speech ended, she waved her wand and a disco ball dropped down to commence a long night of dancing and debauchery. The live band started to perform a lively cover of Weird Sisters “Do The Hippogriff”.

Hector smiled slightly at her.

"This is the first break I've allocated for myself for a few weeks now," he admitted, also sipping from his flute. Glancing over at Ptolemy as he swept Alayna around the dance floor, he wondered whether his Mother would be pleased to know that he ranked slightly higher than him. Than again, she wasn't really the type for gloating. Nor was he. Or perhaps he felt affection towards Rowle...

Surely not.

"Melanthius is doing very well," Hector went on, "He seems to be dedicating a lot more time to duelling and defensive magic, and it balances out well with his constant reading, I think." He didn't mention certain motivators for said activities, as he believed it was more to do with Bellona Lestrange than anything else. "I get the impression that he's beginning to pursue specific goals now, so he could have a career path in mind."

@Cousin Skeeter

Finally allowing himself to smile as James came in sight, he felt the muscles in his arms and legs suddenly relax as he was held in his embrace. It was very comfortable and warm being there, but his breath was stolen by a very sloppy kiss. When they drew back, Lien was wiping underneath his lip, flushed yet happy, feeling as though he could really start to enjoy himself now.

"You look very smart," he said, brushing off his lapels. "Why are you so afraid to wear suits like that? It looks good - honestly."

He looked at Atticus and Macmillan. Meredith looked pretty, and he smiled at her. Atticus looked emotional, but that wasn't anything new.

"I'll get us a drink - stay here with Atticus?" It was his own way of making sure his friend wasn't standing alone.

@James Potter

Waving at Meredith when she came over, he turned away from the two of them and looked back at James and Lien. Suddenly he was struck by a feeling that he didn't enjoy: loneliness. Why would be feel lonely? He was surrounded by friends almost all day, every day. Right now he was standing in a hall full of students!

Lonely?!

Hearing Lien say what he said, Atticus sniffed slightly and managed to put on a smile for James. "So you didn't forget your way and end up in the lake, then. Knowing you, you'd probably just try and make the most of it by making a band out of the merpeople." What was he rambling on about?! Urgh. It was these things. They always put him ill at ease, for some reason. How could anyone say they were acting like their authentic selves right now, though.

Everyone was self conscious. And distracted. And overwhelmed.

Except Macmillan, who had his swimming shorts on underneath his trousers.

Atticus suddenly snorted in laughter again.

@James Potter

He hadn't put a substantial effort in for the formal, but he didn't have a partner and the occasion wasn't grandeur enough for him to don a tuxedo, like Hector Burke. At least the music was enjoyable enough. Usually when it came to similar events within their community, it was prudent to have a partner at least for one dance: that way you seemed part of the camaraderie enough to detain untoward focus on yourself.

Comarth looked good enough in all black, at least. Quite a contrast to Jeneva Avery, who seemed quietly confident in her floral attire and perfectly alone, which was all he was concerned with.

"Good evening," he said as he approached her, dipping his head politely.

@Jeneva Avery

It felt strange to be back at Hogwarts for a dance after what happened the previous time this kind of function was held, but he was going to have lots of fun, wasn't he? Both Lien and Atticus were acting normally enough. So far, nobody was hounding him or them or Macmillan or the one Riddle broad. That had to count for something, right?

"Aye, Lien, if they got somethin' dragonfruit, can ya get that? Thanks!"

It would be nice to have his favorite fruit to quench the sudden dryness he was feeling in his throat. James glanced over at Atticus and chuckled awkwardly, moving his one hand to mess with the other man's curly locks.

"Er, I dunno, I think the merfolk would kick me outta there. Spit me out like I'm some kinda rodent!"

Just like Atticus, he had no real idea what he was talking about.

We know what you are now. Gay. Gay and very, very sad.

Staring out into the crowd, James began to frown.

@Atticus Nott

She nodded, pleased that her eldest two children were keeping themselves on track with their schoolwork. Millicent would've been embarrassed if her children felt as if their security net of wealth was an excuse to slack around and lollygag. Such a thing would've gone completely against what it meant to be a Burke.

"It's about time Melanthius figured out what he was going to do after Hogwarts..." Merlin, her mother-in-law would have a cow if one of her children were caught floundering. "What about Cecilia? Has she been well?"

It took her some time to cope with having a child in Hufflepuff. How could her and her husband's genes allowed for such a thing to happen? At least it wasn't Gryffindor... There would've been a family crisis if she had been a Gryffindor.

She lifted her flute closer to her mouth as her eyes landed on the eldest Potter. Yet another day to be grateful that her children were never going to be so trashy or undignified.

@Hector Burke

Getting a glimpse of Alayna's poor excuse for a dress, Jeneva cackled behind her hand. That was the trash bag she said would outdo Bell? Alayna made it too easy to outshine her! Jeneva wouldn't even allow herself to be caught in those mourning rags in her sleep!

Then that weirdo Selwyn came within her sight. Urgh. At least he was pureblood, decently handsome, and not grody like that mudblood Estrada. She still would've preferred Bruce or Macmillan, but she had to choose the best of the very slim pickings at the end of the night.

"Good evening," she greeted back nonchalantly, checking her nails to ensure there wasn't already any dirt underneath them.

@Comarth Selwyn

James was sounding awkward too, but it was far from comforting that he was. Atticus watched his side profile as he glanced around the room, and he could tell something of what he was thinking. The last time he attended an event at Hogwarts like this...

It probably didn't help having that association and the anxiety he felt anyway about becoming a Father.

Atticus couldn't help it, he grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "It's strange when you get to things like this, where you know it's been set up specifically for our enjoyment, that it's anything but." He hoped sharing his feelings wouldn't make him more nervous, but he went on anyway. "I've been looking forward to this all month, thinking it would be really fun seeing friends and just having a silly night with them, but I feel really uncomfortable. Just seeing all the clothes and seeing that sort of... posh pricks type of dancing... I just feel like a little boy again, forced into doing these things with my family."

He was keeping hold of his hand even though he probably shouldn't.

"Maybe we both just need to see something really, really, really funny - to relieve the tension."

@James Potter

It wasn't really, really, really funny - but Wade showed up at the right moment wearing his tie completely wrong.

"Sup."

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he stood near James and Atticus.

"Gonna meet Marilyn soon. Dunno whether to take a piss now or leave it."

@James Potter

"Well enough," he responded, "I can't say we have heart to heart conversations, but I haven't witnessed anything untoward in her case."

Following her line of sight, he also had a repulsed look towards Potter and Nott.

"Nott seems to think he's some kind of revolutionary nowadays," he murmured derisively.

He didn't really think much of her checking her nails and looking bored. It wasn't something he usually picked up on. Even blatant eye rolling, yawning or heavy sighs: most of those indicatiors went straight over his head.

"You're not with someone in particular tonight, are you?"

He presented his hand to her so it was well within her eyesight.

"If you aren't otherwise engaged, would you care to dance?"

@Jeneva Avery

Listening to Atticus sympathetically, James was about to give him some sort of reassuring tap-hug-whatever when Wade butted in being er...

"Er...."

James grimaced at his former housemate unsure how to respond. "Ya get your tie on wrong, aye?"

Somehow, it made him feel even more like a fish out of water.

@Wade MacKenna

They were a pair of a very few people occupying the dance floor, but Ptolemy hadn't really noticed. He kept his eyes solidly on Alayna, smiling at her, twining their fingers together as he held her close and ran with the rhythm.

"Do you remember the first time we danced together? Or, at least, the first time we were forced to dance together - in the summer before our second year?"

@Alayna Nott

"Obviously not, ugh!" Jeneva rolled her eyes at such a stupid question. If she had gotten a date, she wouldn't have shut up about it! At least she was still and always the best-looking girl at the formal. She couldn't wait to see what rags her other peers were wearing. If pregnant Alayna looked frumpy in black, everyone else had to look even worse!

Ha!

Smirking, Jeneva pulled out her compact mirror to check her makeup. Her eyelashes, eyeliner, and eyeshadow were still in place! Putting it back into her tiny bag, she answered, "I accept a dance!"

If he wasn't a respectable pureblood, she wouldn't even give him the time of day.

She stuck her very tiny bag into an inconspicuous opening in her beehive and glared over at Alayna and Ptolemy. "What dances do you know?"

@Comarth Selwyn

"Yeah 'cause I ain't worn one before, I dunno how the fuckin' thing works!"

He tried to pull it off, but it only fastened the knot tighter.

"Everyone was pissin' me off so I got dressed in the gym changin' rooms."

Atticus laughed and told him to keep still as he helped him with his tie.

"This is stupid. Bet Marilyn'll look fit though, so it'll probably be worth it. Either of you got a mint?"

Edith stepped into the Great Hall somewhat warily after checking on Evelyn and then meeting with Marilyn in the newspaper club meeting room to look at the article she was working on. Although she was afraid for both of her daughters in very different ways, Edith was proud of them. Evelyn was about to become a mother, and Marilyn was making another step towards becoming an excellent journalist like everyone else in her family.

She glanced around and sighed as she glanced around to see who all were in the Great Hall so far. Edith stood there expecting to hear from Marilyn about being done with the article at some point in the night.

"Good - I wouldn't wish to step on any toes."

When they reached the dance floor...

"Pun not intended."

Where had that bag disappeared to? He was momentarily fascinated, and wanted to rummage around in that barnet of hers to find out. But he knew better to not touch it, like it was an actual beehive.

"I prefer to do a waltz of some kind, if that's suitable for you." He sounded as though she didn't have much choice though.

Where is that bag?! Is it in her hair?

"Does it shrink by itself? Is it something about the fabric, an enchantment of some kind?" he wondered out loud, unable to stop himself.

@Jeneva Avery

"I see." It was better than some of the other possibilities her mind could think of. Her daughter was one of her biggest worries some days. It was fortunate that she kept good company amongst the Slytherins.

While she was still thinking about her children's careers, Millicent asked, "Have you applied to any universities or are you going straight into business?" She wanted to know her children's plans so she'd be able to discuss them with her husband once he returned from his latest trip.

She crossed her arms and shook her head at the two boys before whispering to her son, "It's disappointing to see how he turned out, but I'm not shocked by it."

@Hector Burke

A waltz? That was easy enough, and possibly the most dancing she'd do all night. There was no way Jeneva was going to allow any part of her ensemble to become disheveled. She had to look her best every second, minute, and hour!

Jeneva posed as they got onto the dance floor, making sure her imaginary paparazzi caught all of her good angles, which were many of them. She enjoyed how the colorful lights accentuated her legs; although many didn't want to accept it, she was definitely the prettiest of them all.

"What are you talking about?!"

Ugh, she should've known Selwyn wouldn't stop being weird for a few minute dance!

@Comarth Selwyn

"The bag! Your... purse, clutch, whatever you like to call it. One moment it was there, and then it wasn't..."

He had his finger placed on his lip as he stood at tip-toe, trying to get a better look of what happened. What a fascinating mystery! He simply must know of the enchantment that shrank a bag without incantation!

@Jeneva Avery

Alayna smiled as she twirled around the dance floor with Ptolemy. She let out a laugh at the memory, "Indeed I do. You were terrified to even touch me. Probably thought I had cooties or some stupid boy reasoning." She said before resting her head on hihis shoulder, "We've come a long way" 
@Ptolemy Rowle

Jeneva stepped back with a disgusted look on her face. "Don't you dare try to touch my hair!" Her hair wasn't done up like this for people to be touching it! "It took hours to get it perfect!"

@Comarth Selwyn

"I wasn't going to. Truly, I wasn't. I apologise."

He bowed his head slightly to her.

"I realise this isn't exactly the right time to contemplate practical magic applications when we were going to dance. It was an oversight. I shan't bother you any further on the matter. Now."

He tried again, presenting his hand.

"Let's try once more?"

@Jeneva Avery

James looked at Wade almost shell-shocked. "Ya never wore a tie before?"

Was that even possible? James had to wear those multiple times throughout his life, such as a family portrait for an article some quidditch magazine wrote about his mum. They had him looking like he was ready to work in an office!

"Er, I got some fruit gum? Do ya want one, Atti?"

James dug through his pocket until he pulled out a packet of gum that was a quarter-full.

@Wade MacKenna

Blinking at him, she checked her nails once more before rolling her eyes and replying, "Ugh, yes! Let's get this dance over with!"

Jeneva looked around to see that Bellona hadn't arrived yet. They needed to get this dance done ASAP so she wouldn't be caught dead with Selweyn for too much longer!

"And don't be cuckoo! Or gross!"

She got into position waiting for him to take the lead.

@Comarth Selwyn