HOGWARTS GRAND OPENING BALL
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. )
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. )
It was not supposed to be like this, standing awkwardly next to Perry, not quite touching, not quite looking at each other and not quite talking. For God's sake, he might as well have stayed at home, the date this was turning out to be.
Of course, he had brought her flowers. Six pale pink tulips that were sitting in a glass on the table in the flat because, for all her blustering, Pansy didn't actually own a single vase. The flowers had been a sweet gesture, but the atmosphere that Perry brought along with him was anything but. He couldn't even bring himself to say anything about the dress, the one she had been saving to wow him with. He just stood and stared, but somehow it wasn't the right kind of staring and Pansy was left feeling a little cold. So then Pansy hadn't commented on how dapper Perry looked in his dress robes and why was she playing mind games with him all of a sudden, anyway?
As with Perry, the new headmistress' address sounded to Pansy like only so much codswallop but what did it matter to Pansy whether they changed the system at Hogwarts or not? She didn't have any children about to enter the old stamping ground and McGonagall would probably be dead by the time she did, the rate Pansy was going.
Then the music started and as Perry leaned close, Pansy had an awful feeling he was going to invite her to dance. The feeling of disappointment when the refreshment table was suggested first was quite a surprise.
"Fine, whatever you like," Pansy said, shrugging and she placed one arm through his so that they could move off in that direction, every inch the most impressive couple at the ball.
So then why, elbow to elbow with Perry, did Pansy feel utterly alone?
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Apologizing would help, his conscience told him. The very suggestion made his jaw clench. When was the last time Peregrin Derrick apologized for anything?
Upon reaching a table with alcohol, Perry dropped Pansy's arm to pass her a glass of wine. He took one for himself, and briefly glared at a house elf who was watching him a little too keenly. What, did he really look like the type to get pissed in public? With a roll of the eyes he turned away... towards Pansy. He was having trouble looking at her, he found.
Congratulations, Derrick. You've ruined her night. And didn't you bring her out here to have fun?
It wasn't just stubborn pride that had him silent. Many times he had tried to speak, but nothing seemed adequate to fix the situation. Whatever the situation was.
...Besides, she so started it.
"Look," Perry said, and it was quite clear he wanted to say something entirely different than what ended up coming out, but at the last minute he sighed. "I'm sorry... all right?"
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The apology was completely unexpected then, and it didn't ring true to Pansy's ears. She took a sip of her wine as she looked at him; as he looked away from her. Did he think that was what this was about? Say, "Sorry" even through gritted teeth and everything was fine again?
This was all so ridiculous. She wasn't even annoyed, not really. She just wished it could be easy sometimes. All around them people were dancing and laughing and being normal, and for all that Pansy insisted, and continued to insist that she just wanted Perry (which of course was true) she wanted those moments as well.
And more and more, it seemed as though it was Perry who was standing steadfastly in the way of that, refusing to believe it was possible.
Pansy sighed and put her drink down. She didn't even know what she was going to say when she opened her mouth to begin talking and so to her irritation, she stuttered through her speech.
"Look, Perry, I- that isn't what this is about. I don't want you to just... to always be apologising 'cos you think you should." She glanced up at him now and a wry smile twisted her lips. "Can we not just... let it be easy, just once in a while?"
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Somehow Perry didn't realize that thought was being articulated until it was too late, and he immediately grimaced into his wine. That was definitely not the right thing to say, especially when he was supposed to be patching things up. He risked a glance to her and her little smile and felt very much like a heel.
At times like this, he couldn't remember why they fought at all.
Did she think he wanted it to be this difficult? That he deliberately set out to annoy her (actually, he felt it was the other way around)? In truth he simply felt lost with her, loathe though he was to admit it. As a kid, all his relationships had been trivial... just a fun way to pass the time. Never very serious, because Perry didn't get close to other people.
He'd never fought like this with other girls. But for some reason, with Pansy, every little thing seemed to matter. He was constantly watching for her reaction. Sometimes he did push her needlessly, just to see what she'd do. Perry wanted Pansy Parkinson's approval, when he'd hardly cared for it from other girls.
It was a moment before he finally unclenched his jaw. Hell... why not? Because for right now, they were together. She wasn't going away. He grabbed her elbow with his free hand to draw her closer.
"Yeah... fine." He grinned crookedly and dipped his head lower to kiss her.
Whatever you want.
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He could laugh and grimace and grin and smile but expressions on his face seemed completely different when compared with other people. Perry was the only person Pansy knew who could make a smile the scariest thing you'd seen that month - or who could melt her heart with a glower.
And he said things most people would never dream of saying. Sure, she had accused him of not really wanting to apologise but he didn't have to agree! In fact that took her so completely by surprise that she couldn't even think of a way to respond before Perry grinned and muttered some cryptic agreement and pulled her closer.
With her free arm caught around Perry's neck and her other hand clutching the lapel of his dress robes, Pansy thought with the usual high spirited thoughts which came of kissing Perry that now they were the most impressive and probably most envied couple in the room. It was a surprise to her that that didn't matter nearly so much as she thought it would and instead it was the the palpable loss of tension in Perry's shoulders and the thawing of her icy expression that brought a smile to her lips even as she kissed him and entwined her fingers in his hair.
This was what she had come for. For one night only, if that was all she could have, this was what she wanted. The first hour or so was scrapped in Pansy's mind and here, here was where the date, their first, really began.
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This girl, Pansy Parkinson, was his girlfriend. And now everyone who looked over at this moment would know.
And, surprisingly, Perry didn't seem to mind. One hand was still holding a glass of wine, but the other, which had been at Pansy's elbow, moved its way around to the small of her back, drawing her closer. For once in the last five years, he felt carefree and confident and didn't give a damn about who saw them.
He let the kiss go on for a moment before pulling away, enough to look at her and grin. "Care to dance?"
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She grinned at him when he suggested dancing. How strange it was that with Perry, her mood was as changeable as an autumn day. Just ten minutes ago she had been standing icily beside him, not returning his glances and talking in a monotone. Now she was beaming up at him, all frostiness dissipated in a moment.
She twined her fingers into his, unable to help herself as he grinned at her so that she pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth - and then one more, and then she smiled again and said, "But of course!" as she gathered her skirts up on her free hand and prepared to move over to the dancefloor.
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But, he was still holding her hand. And he was grinning in a very self-satisfied way as he led her to the dance floor, because she was no one else's date but his. No one else's girlfriend but his.
I hope everyone's watching. Perry took up her right hand, his same hand going to her waist. I've got the best girl in the room.
They'd danced once before, but now there was no formal barrier between them. Now he could hold her as close as he wanted.
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She was loathe to speak and disturb this tranquility they had managed to find so soon after that last row. They were so good at arguments, it was a surprise to find that they were equally good at being comfortably quiet with each other.
While Perry was wondering if everyone was watching, Pansy knew they all were. She didn't think she'd ever looked better than she did tonight - being in lust obviously agreed with her and designer dress robes probably helped - and Perry was looking his usually devilishly handsome self. She grinned to herself and then leant upwards to whisper in Perry's ear, her lips brushing its contours; "You know, everyone in this entire room is jealous of us."
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His attention went from watching her dress twist and fan with each step (which was rather hypnotic) to brief glances around the hall. There was also that knowledge in the back of his head keeping him sober, that he was essentially a wolf in sheep's clothing here; an expression so close to being literal that it threatened to affect his mood. But it didn't, because, who would know? And at the moment, the one whose opinion mattered was in his arms, and she didn't seem bothered at all.
If only Pansy had known what he was thinking when she whispered in his ear! And perhaps she did? Nevertheless, it earned a mad grin in response. "They should be." He dropped his head just a bit lower, returning the favor. "I'm quite the catch... and you're looking pretty good, yourself."
This might've been a good time to tell Pansy just how stunning he thought she was, how he just wanted to watch her all night, and how they probably were the best-looking couple in the room... but why do that, when you could toy with her ego?
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