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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 27 2006, 06:07:37 UTC

Continued from here

Neville couldn't quite tell, but he thought that Luna was acting a bit odd. He'd only asked after Seamus because he knew they were friends and co-workers. It made complete sense to him at that moment, but now he wasn't so sure.

He shot a bewildered look at Lavender when she tried to speak to him behind her drink. Did she say to ask Luna to dance? That's what it sounded like, but in the festive din of the Great Hall, Neville didn't trust his ears. He still felt a bit worried about Luna, and she wasn't acting quite like herself. Neville knew that for certain.

"Um, Luna? Are you alright? You look a bit..." He paused, searching for the right, tactful word to say. "A bit off."

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] bluemoon_loon August 27 2006, 06:33:18 UTC

Luna quickly whipped her head to Lavender. Here was an emotional state that she didn't often reach: annoyance. It usually happened when she felt especially anxious or wary. When she felt she had to protect herself.

Times like now.

"Yes, a full hour ago," she said, shoulders and arms stiffening. If she were a cat, her fur might be standing on end. "I think that's long enough for one person to lose track of another, don't you? I'm not his keeper."

She didn't hear what Lavender whispered to Neville and didn't much care. But when Neville spoke to her she fixed him with a gaze that was too affected to be considered annoyed. It was just surprised... and hurt.

'A bit off'? He thought she was a bit off?Well... perhaps she was. But she didn't need it pointed out ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 27 2006, 06:39:17 UTC

"But --" Lavender's eyes widened. What on earth had she done? "I didn't mean to say that you're his Keeper, just that you'd seen him -- I think Neville was just trying to start a conv ---"

And she was gone.

"Oh, Neville," she sighed, finishing her drink and putting the cup into a house elves' eager hand. "Hexes and jinxes, I gave you a whole list of adjectives. And you choose 'off.'" She closed her eyes and put her face in her hand. She didn't even care if her gesture of frustration made him uncomfortable right now. He had just gone and ruined something that could have been tame and interesting. If he did this with Luna Lovegood, who was supposed to be a friend of his -- Hexes and JINXES! he really needed a hufflepuff. The tamest Hufflepuff in the world. Someone who would peep out "yes'ms'" and "No'ms" to "Gran" and spend the rest of her time cultivating the earth with Neville ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 28 2006, 03:44:30 UTC

After this little encounter, Neville hoped Lavender saw that he was absolutely hopeless with girls. What was wrong with Luna anyhow? She did look a bit off, a bit ill. She really wasn't her normal self. All Neville wanted to know was why.

Was it because of the changes concerning the Hogwarts houses? Or was she just not feeling well? Or had something happened to Seamus, and Luna worried for him? Too many questions, not enough answers, and Neville caught right in the middle. He wanted to do Lavender right by trying to follow her advice; they were Gryffindors together, after all, but...

"Well," Neville sighed. "What do ladies want to hear, then? I don't think most blokes know that. Seems to be the most difficult thing to suss out."

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 28 2006, 04:45:48 UTC

"They don't want to be told they look off. Ever." Lavender closed her eyes. "No girl, ever, Neville." She sighed and opened her eyes, reaching for another drink. "What they do want is to be told that they are beautiful, pretty, classy. You want to make them feel good. And then," she said, taking a sip. She talked quickly, moving her hands as she did. "They'll make you feel good in turn. They also like it when boys care about their feelings. So you should ask a girl how she is -- not in a way that makes her feel that you are insulting her. For example," she set down her cup. "Pretend I'm a bloke." She narrowed her brows, winking at Neville. "Why, hello there.. Luna," she said, making up a name. "Your dress is lovely. How are you doing today?" She cleared her throat. "That is what would have been much nicer. If you ask about something that makes her uncomfortable, drop it. Leave it. Go on to something pleasent." She took another sip of her wine. It was good wine. "So you should practice. You can practice with ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 28 2006, 05:04:19 UTC

This was turning into an odd night. Not only did he hear about Hogwarts being turned on its head by the new sorting system; he'd somehow angered Luna Lovegood, and now Lavender was starting to give him advice about how to deal with girls.

Perhaps he should have stayed in Greenhouse Three like he wanted to.

But how was he supposed to call the girl by her name if he hadn't met her before? He wanted to ask Lavender but thought better of it. No sense her going even more mental if he'd kept on making mistakes.

"Um..." he grinned for a moment, before his face settled into its usual anxious expression. "Hello?" This was ridiculous. Why in the name of Merlin was he doing this? "Er, You? Uh, you look...your dress...it's...looks lovely?" There was no confidence in his words. Nearly everything he said sounded like a question. "How are you doing? Today?"

Well, that was...something.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 28 2006, 05:08:35 UTC

She fluttered her lashes, turning to look at Neville and smoothing her dress. "Why, hello there. Oh, this old thing? I didn't think anyone had noticed." She tilted her head to the side. "I'm doing fine, and you? Brilliant party, wouldn't you say?

Come on, Neville! she thought. She wanted to smooth his features out of that frightened expression and spill some courage into him. Courage. Spill.

She reached out and took another glass of wine and offered it to him. "Would you like a drink?" she said, looking at himn coyly.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 28 2006, 05:17:11 UTC

"I suppose I'm doing alright." He swept his hands behind his back, so that Lavender wouldn't catch him vigorously wringing them. At least this let his posture ease from a slumped to a straightened back. "Um..." Ugh, he hated small talk. He'd never known the right thing to say, and with what happened with Luna, how could he know the right thing to say?

"The party is...is nice. I've seen people I haven't seen in ages. Isn't it brilliant, being back at Hogwarts?" He really did like being back at the castle, even with all the changes, it still felt like home. Most of his memories, good and bad, were anchored at the school.

"A drink'd be grand, th-thank you." He took the glass, but didn't sip at the wine. "It's...it's nice seeing you here. Tonight. Nice night. Here. Yes."

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 28 2006, 05:19:59 UTC

"Oh yes, it is a fantastic party. I'm enjoying myself very much." She sipped her own drink. "I loved my days back at Hogwarts. Never were any better days, really." She batted her lashes at him. "It's been wonderful seeing you here tonight, too. Whatever is your name? I think I've seen you somewhere..."

She leaned forward and whispered, "This is where you would try to ask me to dance."

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 28 2006, 05:31:09 UTC

If Lavender was attempting to look her best and be attractive for Neville's eyes, he wasn't noticing it. His attention was too focused on trying to come up with something new and interesting to say.

"My name?" He ought to have introduced himself first. It took all his constraint to keep from slapping his hand over his eyes in pure embarrassment. "Erm, I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom." Should he mention the Order of Merlin? That Witch Weekly list? He didn't wish to sound like a braggart and he'd suspected that some girls disliked it when blokes did that.

"Oh..." he swallowed a bit of the wine and offered his arm to Lavender. "Would you mind if I asked you to dance?"

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 28 2006, 05:38:58 UTC

"Why, Neville Longbottom. So pleased to make your aquaintance! Do you happen to be that same Neville Longbottom of the Witch Weekly's Top Ten?" She let out a giggle. "If your daydream potion is anything like what the real you is like, I'd love to dance with you." She took his arm, fighting to keep back the giggles.

"Excellent, Nev. Good job." She laughed a little bit more. "Really! Much better than you did with Luna. Fantastic. You're going to be charming any day now, and I bet by next year you'll be moved up to 9 or 8 if you haven't been snatched up by a sweet witch."

She looked around. "Maybe you should try it out on someone else.. Practice makes perfect."

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 28 2006, 05:50:12 UTC

"Uh, is that all there is? D'you really think that sounded alright? Seems as if girls need more, don't they? The way every bloke I know talks about them all the time."

For a moment, he followed Lavender's gaze, sweeping his eyes around the Great Hall and then up towards the ceiling, enchanted to mirror the nighttime skies.

"Wow..." he said with a chuckle, momentarily awed by the starlight shining gently down on the entire hall. "D'you think the stars really are that bright or is it the magic that's making them do that? 'Cos they don't twinkle like that above London..."

Lavender's suggestion brought him back down to earth. "Um! I don't think I'd be able to try it out on more than one witch at a time. But I...I wouldn't mind it if we'd danced. Honest."

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 28 2006, 05:57:00 UTC

"Well, you just keep practicing," Lavender said, looking up as Neville started talking about the sky. She grinned and looked at him, tapping him on the shoulder. "That was almost poetic, Nev."

She wanted to push him into dancing with another witch but, well, she had made a big mistake with Luna. If she pushed him too much it might freak him out completely. "Fine," she said, waving a finger at him. "But I'm not going to let you get away with running away from witches for the rest of your life." she flashed a brilliant smile. "After all, as the WW said, it is the responsibility of all the bachelors to have more children to fill up," she swept her hand out around the room, "The Great Hall of Hogwarts and the Ministry," she giggled. "Not that you need to start working on that right away."

She held out her arm. "Well, if you don't mind" she gave a giggle. "Than how could I help but be charmed? Nev, make it always sound like it's an honor, not something near a chore..."

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 28 2006, 06:39:01 UTC

"What was almost poetic?" he asked, a bit perplexed at Lavender.

"I...it's not running away, exactly. I just never know if the girls'd really be interested or not. Girls are very mysterious at times, you know that? You're very difficult to understand." And then he'd heard how some blokes thought all the trouble was worth it? Neville wasn't sure he'd wanted to bother with it.

But as he told Lavender, he thought it would be nice to like someone. Love someone? That was going a bit too far. He cleared his throat when Lavender started to quote Witch Weekly. "There were ten blokes on that list, though. I'd figured being at the bottom of it meant being chosen last."

"Erm, th-then I'd be honoured if you'd, y'know, accompany me in a dance." It sounded awfully awkward in his head, but who knew? Perhaps girls liked that sort of stuff.

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] mslavenderbrown August 29 2006, 05:30:19 UTC

"That thing you said about the sky. The stars," said Lavender, flitting her eyes up to the ceiling. "It was sweet. That'd be a good line. Say something pretty like that. Of course, you won't really have the chance to use it again until you come back to the Great Hall... So, you could always try using it on another lady here." She giggled ( ... )

Re: 19:15 [7:15 PM] forevernev August 30 2006, 21:09:30 UTC

"Was it?" He scrunched his nose a little, slightly skeptical. "I'd only said it 'cos it was true, is all. I mean, I'd always liked the Great Hall ceiling." His eyes lifted upwards, following Lavender's gaze. No, it wouldn't work anywhere else but the Great Hall, and although he'd be spending a bit more time at the school greenhouses, the only really eligible girls about would be students.

And he didn't want that sort of attention.

"Chances," he repeated, breathing it out in an anxious sigh. "D'you remember the Yule Ball fourth year? It took me ages just to get the strength up to ask Hermione to be my date and..." He chuckled, finding the humour in the situation now, even though he was devastated when it happened. "And then she said she was already going with that Seeker, Krum. Suppose I was lucky that Ginny said yes."

His smile was weak, but at least it didn't disappear completely as he led Lavender to the dance floor. The dance, he could do. As clumsy as he was, he at least knew the steps and could count out the right rhythms. ( ... )

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