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HOGWARTS GRAND OPENING BALL

Aug 26, 2006 00:43

Date: Saturday, 26 August
Time: 6:00 p.m. to Midnight
Place: Hogwarts Great Hall and Grounds
Characters Involved: Everyone! Don't forget to add your character's tag if you join the thread!
Rating: Hopefully not more than PG-13 - this is a public location, folks! Take your libidos 'home' for higher-rated stuff please! *grin*

( But first, before the dancing could begin, the Headmistress would address the crowd. )

character: oliver wood, character: juneau connors, character: luna lovegood, character: perry derrick, character: nymphadora tonks, character: draco malfoy, character: katie bell, status: complete, character: hermione granger, character: charlotte aurelius, character: severus snape, character: pansy parkinson, character: harry potter, event: carnival, character: remus lupin, character: minerva mcgonagall, location: hogwarts, character: neville longbottom, character: lavender brown, event: hogwarts, character: charlie weasley, character: millicent bulstrode-morsus, character: hannah abbott, character: stella sinistra, character: parvati patil, status: open, character: marcus flint, character: seamus finnigan

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19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 26 2006, 23:35:20 UTC

After McGonagall's surprise announcement at the start of the festivities, Neville needed a moment alone, or an entire evening alone, to let his mind get used to the severe changes at the school. He disappeared to the greenhouses, remaining there until the music and the sheer familiarity of a bustling Great Hall drew him back to the Ball.

He was never fully at ease in crowds, but even his shyness could be overcome by an empty stomach. The food tables weren't too mobbed with people, now that most everyone had already their fill and were more interested in dancing. As he made his way around the platters, he even mingled a bit, trying to keep up with the small talk and his latest claim to fame. The Eligible Bachelors list was just another one in a never-ending series of odd, post-war events. Like the Order of Merlin and the Bobbleheads, he needed to muddle through it without embarrassing himself to much.

Though speaking while he stuffed his mouth with Cornish pasties probably wasn't the best way to keep his dignity.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 00:08:49 UTC

Lavender was in her element. People, alcohol, music, dancing. She was grinning and laughing, waving and winking at the people. There were so many that she hadn't seen since she had come back, and she was glad to know that she looked good.

This was how she had wanted to re-enter the wizarding world. It wasn't fair that it had taken a month, but now she was going to make it count. She headed towards the food tables, hoping to find a little something tasty when she saw Neville Longbottom. Oh, gods! Mr Number 10 himself.

"Neville!" she cried out, hurrying over to him. She pulled him into a big hug. "It's been ages and ages! How are you doing? Must be doing pretty well with all this top ten business, hmm?" she said, winking and giving him a nudge.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 27 2006, 01:00:49 UTC

Lavender caught him completely by surprise, and a mouthful of pasty lodged itself into his windpipe. He coughed and wheezed forefully, and even as he was being hugged, he flailed about like a fish out of water.

"Lav-Lavender?" he managed to choke out, gradually gaining what little sense of composure he could muster after nearly gagging. "I..." Another swallow. A few deep breaths. A very eager house-elf witnessed his plight and shoved a glass of berry wine into his hand. The creature scampered off before Neville could speak steadily enough to thank him.

He sipped at the wine, welcoming its pleasant, relaxing warmth. "I...it really has been ages. Um, that top ten list...?" His face turned red, though whether this was from embarrassment or from the alcohol was anybody's guess. "Not really. Well, some of the owls I've received were a bit, uh, well I probably shouldn't say." His voice dropped a little.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 01:09:15 UTC

She couldn't help but grin. Nothing had changed about Neville, it seemed. Not even with an Order of Merlin and being one of the top Bachelors in the England. Gods, but that had shocked her.
"Owls, huh?" she said. "They probably enjoyed their daydream potion." She bit her lip to try to keep from giggling but couldn't stop herself. "I'm surprised you haven't been mobbed already. But, of course, it's better for me." She took one of his hands. "Because we are going to dance, Neville. And then you can tell me all about what it is you've been doing. Working at St. Mungos? Seeing anyone?" She waggled a finger at him. "You can't lie to me, Neville! Drink up, and let's go dance ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 27 2006, 01:22:45 UTC

No, the owls weren't too bad, not unless he counted the various marriage proposals, or the photographs. The ones whose subjects moved and striped off their robes with no shame at all...

He shuddered a little, taking a deep swig of the wine in the hopes that it would chase away those images. Not that he didn't appreciate them, but they were still a bit embarrassing.

"Gran's more interested in those owls than I am. Um! I mean...I didn't want to say that she likes to read them! But she's glad that, y'know, some witches are interested. Gran says I ought to reply to some of the nicer ones. I'm not sure about that."

He blinked at Lavender's hand around his. Dancing? He couldn't! He'd look a laughing stock! "No, not seeing anyone. No time, really." Recalling Lavender's interest in gossip back in school, Neville wondered if his answer was the correct one.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 01:35:36 UTC

"Well of course someone's going to be interested, Neville dear," said Lavender. She pursed her lips together, trying so hard not to let out a giggle. It was hilarious how nervous he was. He was started to match the color of his wine. "Come on, then," she said, "Drink up, then, drink up ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 27 2006, 01:51:20 UTC

He nodded, taking one last gulp from his glass and leaving it nearly-empty on the nearest table. A female house-elf hurriedly cleared it away before anyone noticed the abandoned glass. The wine made Neville's head ache a little, though he wasn't quite sure why. The pain wasn't too unpleasant, and it dissipated quickly. His Uncle Algie was fond of calling alcohol "liquid courage," and Neville was starting to understand why.

"I'm not sure. There weren't too many who're nice enough, I think. And they'd have to pass through Gran first." He couldn't recall how much Lavender knew about Augusta Longbottom, but he believed most Gryffindors knew enough about his gran's reputation from the number of Howlers he'd received over the years. "I appreciate you trying to help, Lavender, but really, there aren't that many to sort through ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 01:59:57 UTC

As soon as both his hands were free Lavender led him out to the dance floor, grinning at him the whole time. "We never danced at the Yule Ball, did we?" she asked him. She recalled being a bit busy snogging Seamus that night, and then skipping off with Parvati for a few dances with Beaubaton boys ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 27 2006, 02:24:48 UTC

"I think they're much more interested in seeing Hogwarts rebuilt than in seeing me, Lavender." He chuckled nervously. Laughter usually helped to settle his stomach, but maybe the wine was doing a much better job at it.

"D'you think the list, that Witch Weekly list...isn't it a bit of a joke? I mean, Harry's at number one, isn't he? And it's pretty much given that he's tops in everything. Besides, I...why'd..." His brow furrowed and he leaned in close to Lavender, whispering so only she could hear. "Why'd anyone think I'm handsome? It's only for giggles, right?"

He straightened up a little, his back stiffening and his shoulders drawing back. "I do have fun. Only..." Only sprawling on a sofa watching telly while Trevor hopped upon one's chest wasn't everybody's idea of fun. "It's just that I'm not that sort of bloke, Lavender. The dancing and the socialising? It's not me, y'know?"

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 02:48:07 UTC

"Seeing Hogwarts rebuilt?" Lavender thought for a moment. Oh, yeah. That was why they had had this ball. She'd forgotten that. "Ah, Neville, the open house is for the school. This ball is for blokes like you and ladies like me."

When he leaned in close and asked her that question, Lavender wanted to giggle and laugh and chortle out an 'Awww!' all at the same time, but she forced herself to keep a straight face. "It's not a joke, Neville. Harry can't help being the top" -- where was, Harry, by the way? She was going to make sure that she got a dance with him. "But, look at you! You've come along way. Order of Merlin, First Class." She winked at him. "Not a lot of blokes can claim that, now can they? And of course you are handsome, Neville. The Top 10 isn't a joke, and you deserve to be on there." Not that Lavender found him very attractive for herself. But she knew that someone, somewhere, would find Neville attractive. And Lavender had a lot of experience making other men feel good about themselves. All that ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 27 2006, 03:17:03 UTC

"No," Neville found himself agreeing. "Not many can say they're Order of Merlin." He'd only just come to grips with the award after months of others telling him that yes, he deserved it at least as much as anyone else on that stage did. He certainly deserved it more than Lucius Malfoy, but he couldn't shake the feeling that someday every single one of those accolades would be taken from him. The Order medal above his fireplace might vanish in a puff of smoke. He'd start receiving hateful owls from witches who thought him as hideous as a troll ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 03:25:28 UTC

"Not too nice at all," said Lavender primly, lifting her nose up in the air with a wink. She loved that he was blushing. She started smiling, her eyes looking around to ensure that they were not going to bump into anyone. "Perhaps you aren't told so enough."

All that Neville was saying didn't quite make sense to her. She could cognitively register it, of course, but ... Too tired to be around people? Gods, she felt exhausted when she spent a day alone. "What?" she said, her brow furrowing in confusing. "Not fun? I mean, gods, Neviille, not fun to meet new people or not fun to be around people? What about your dorm room mates like... Harry or Seamus? They're nice blokes. Other people from St Mungos?" How could he just be alone all the time? Didn't it drive him mad? "Mabye you're just working too hard.. or.." she didn't know what else to say.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 27 2006, 03:39:23 UTC

Neville hadn't heard that too often, mostly because his co-workers were elderly wizards who didn't care less what he looked like. His penchant for solitude also made sure that he hadn't really heard it from his friends either. And his family? Forever comparing him to his father Frank and grousing over why Neville wasn't nearly as tall, or as rugged, or as good-looking.

"Don't you ever worry about whether other people really like you? Or...or if they're just trying to be nice to you cos they'll want something from you later on?"

He shrugged at Lavender's suggestions. "It's all well and good to be 'round the other blokes sometimes. I mean, they're brilliant and all, and I can relax a bit when I'm with them, but after a while, it stops being fun. I dunno. It's probably just me being the odd one out." Like always, he thought.

Oh, sod, he'd probably just brought Lavender's mood down a few rungs, hadn't he? Would he ever stop mucking about like this?

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 03:58:03 UTC

How did Neville know? She almost stumbled for a split second but kept going on as brilliantly as she could with Neville for a dancing partner. Of course she wondered what people thought of her. Of course she was afraid that they were trying to get things from her. Especially the blokes. Men had a tendency to do such things, and Lavender had begun doing her best to try to take what she could from them, too. She was ashamed of what she had done before to try to get the boys to like her. Of what she had almost done the week before and about what she knew, deep down, she just couldn't stop ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 27 2006, 04:28:09 UTC

He chuckled a little at Lavender's question. Neville had felt the odd one out since the very evening he'd been Sorted into Gryffindor. He never saw himself as similar to the others in his House, even though he was grateful when the others defended him against Slytherin taunts. But would Lavender understand? She and Parvati had grown up together, so she always had someone...

"I don't know, really. And it's not as if I mind, most of the time. I rather like being alone. Less things to worry about, that way."

Ugh, he sounded like a somber old wizard, ready to die instead of a bloke who'd just turned twenty. What was the matter with him?

"But I suppose," he added, eyes lifting a little. "Having someone else about wouldn't be too bad. I'm not sure what I'd find attractive anyway." A slight lie; he'd garnered crushes on Hermione and Ginny in the past. The question was if Lavender ever noticed.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 04:45:14 UTC

Less things to worry about, sure, but... "Less things to do, Neville, and you don't need to keep minimalizing your life. You need to get ( ... )

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