RP: Second Annual Autumn Ball

[rar_andromeda]

Date: Saturday, October 14, 1999
Characters: Too many to name
Location: Ballroom, The Morgana
Status: Public
Summary: The Autumn Ball begins
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[rar_hermione]

This year, Hermione was excited about the ball. The awards ceremony had dampened her enthusiasm for the event last year, but there wouldn't be any of that nonsense tonight to ruin the evening. She was glad that George had decided to attend, though she planned to keep an eye on him to make sure that he was doing alright.

Harry looked very handsome. Of course, she would have thought so regardless of what he was wearing, or even if he wasn't wearing anything. She glanced at him and smiled, squeezing his hand as they left security and entered the room. There were already people there, and she scanned the area to admire the formal robes and dresses that people were wearing. She liked her dress a lot, even if it wasn't her usual style. She felt pretty, and, really, that was all that mattered.

"Would you like to get something to drink or go check out the band?" she asked Harry, leaning closer so she wouldn't have to talk too loud.

[rar_harry]

Harry didn't think there were enough drinks in the world to wet his dry throat. Hermione looked ... amazing. In green, and it fit her just right in all the right places, and frankly, once he'd seen her in it, he'd been a bit surprised that Hermione seemed to expect that they'd actually leave the house.

Eventually, he'd agreed that there would be plenty of time after the ball in which he could inspect the dress more closely.

She was still leaning close to him, and he turned his head to brush his lips against her temple. "What d'you want to do? You thirsty?"

[rar_hermione]

"I'm not particularly thirsty yet," she said. "I wouldn't mind a dance, though. It'll probably get more crowded as time passes, so we can enjoy the dance floor when we can actually move a bit."

"You look very handsome tonight." She leaned up and lowered her voice. "I especially like how your bum looks in those trousers." She smiled as she stroked his palm with her thumb. "If you'd rather get a drink and socialize first, that's fine."

[rar_ron]

Ron was actually excited to be attending the ball this year. There wouldn't be any awards this time, which was a relief, and he had a beautiful date too. Eloise was wearing a blue dress that showed off all her curves, and Ron found himself sneaking glances at her as they made their way toward the ballroom in the Morgana. He was glad he'd made arrangements to meet Harry and Hermione at the ball and share a table with them; hanging out with his best mates would make the evening even better.

He had no trouble spotting them, even as dressed up as they were. "Evening, Harry, Hermione," he said, one hand on Eloise's elbow as he led her gently in their direction. "You both look very sharp tonight."

[rar_ginny]

The ballroom was breathtaking. Ginny knew it had been just as lovely last year, but she hadn't been in the best mindset then. She hoped to be able to enjoy the night more this year.

She smoothed her hands down her dress. Lisa had gone into London with her this past week so she could lead Ginny in the direction of some possible shops. Lisa hadn't known of any specific secondhand dress shops, but luckily the area of shopping that Lisa had been familiar with ended up working perfectly. There had been a gently used shop with all types of formal wear, and Ginny had been able to save up enough money for something nice.

Ginny glanced around to see if she saw anyone she knew. Then she got something to drink while she tapped her foot to the music. She exhaled slowly. Yes, she was going to try and make sure this night was much better than last year.

[rar_charlie]

"Ginny," Charlie said, emerging with his own drink from where he'd assailed one of the serving men with the trays. Champagne to start with tonight -- somehow it made him a better dancer, so it was well worth it. "I've never seen that dress before," he said, with a hard smile that was not entirely forced. "It looks beautiful. You look beautiful."

He wished he didn't have a drink now. It was about the right time to be wringing his hands together, but instead he could only sip the champagne and there wasn't much room to hide behind the thin glass.

"Aren't you here with a date?" he asked.

[rar_ginny]

"Charlie," she said with a smile. She pulled him into a hug, careful not to bump the hand that held a glass of champagne. "You look handsome."

Ginny picked her dress up slightly and did a small spin. "It's new," she said, "well, not exactly new, but new for me. It's lovely, isn't it?" She shook her head when Charlie asked about her date. "Nope. Just me. Where's your date?"

[rar_charlie]

Charlie hugged back, just as tight as he could without spilling the drink. He stepped back. "Oh yes, now you've spun, I can see it's even more beautiful than I thought." He smiled and looked up at her. "And it makes your eyes sparkle. I'm sure you'll bewitch everyone here."

He took a sip from his glass, but almost spat it out through his nose. "Oh - you caught me, huh?" He grinned. "I'm here alone too."

[rar_pansy]

So far, things were going well. Pansy spent all of Friday and most of Thursday at the Morgana getting things set up. The volunteers hadn't been as horrible as she'd feared, though she still had to redo things after people had left. It was important everything was perfect. There was no room for a mistake in any area.

She arrived with Neville early, making sure things were still perfect before the masses began to arrive. The flower she had in her hair was now secure thanks to a very powerful sticking charm, and her dress was surprisingly comfortable. Turning to Neville, she smiled, now feeling more relaxed. "If you see something out of place let me know right away."

[rar_neville]

"Yes, ma'am," Neville replied obediently. Pansy was very much a perfectionist when it came to her work. He wondered if he was odd for finding that a bit of a turn-on. "Everything looks wonderful, Pansy. The staff here has loads of experience. It might be the biggest event you've done but I'm sure it will be one of the smoothest."

"I know I said it before, but you look spectacular. I love you in red." He'd decided to wear his black dress suit with a red tie and waistcoat instead of his green robes when Pansy told him about the dress she'd bought. "Are you sure you shouldn't use a sticking charm on the bodice though?" he teased softly against her ear.

[rar_pansy]

Pansy nodded, hoping Neville was right. "I hope so. I'm going to try not to worry about it and not get bitchy."

She grinned. "No, it's perfectly secure. Trust me." She winked and nudged him. "You look pretty handsome yourself, you know. I will reluctantly admit that red looks almost as good as green on you. Though I still prefer my own house colors on my boyfriend."

[rar_neville]

"We'll both wear green for Christmas. What do you think to me trying to talk Gran into having a Christmas party at her place? It would save us from the horror of dealing with Uncle Algie outside of a mob. Gran knows scads of people too, so it could help with business for Foreman's." Gran wanted to meet Pansy's brother, sister and aunt, but was willing to wait until the holidays since Violet was at school.

"That dress is perfect for the tango. I'm glad we were able to practice on Tuesday," he said. "Would you like a drink?"

[rar_dean]

Dean hadn't been to the flats at 47 South Vinewood since he and Katie broke up, and so it had been a little strange walking inside and heading upstairs instead of stopping on the first floor. While he'd decided it wasn't strange at all to attend the event with a friend, even if that friend was Angelina, it would have been strange to run into Katie outside of the event itself. Luckily, they didn't; he had picked her up and they made their way to the Morgana.

Adjusting his cravat a bit as they walked inside, Dean looked over at Angelina and grinned. He had a feeling this year was going to be more fun than the previous. No depressing awards, and he had a date, which pretty much guaranteed he'd have someone to dance with much of the night.

"The place looks great," he commented, nodding toward the area in front of them.

[rar_angelina]

Angelina had been slightly nervous minutes before Dean was supposed to arrive. Was she being a bad friend? What if they ran into Katie on the stairs? She had contemplated running across the hall to Cho's just so she could have someone talk some sense into her.

Instead, Dean had arrived, and once he smiled, she instantly felt fine about everything. She and Dean were friends, and that had nothing to do with Katie at all. She knew they were going to have a great time at the ball. Their friends would be there. There would be delicious foods, sweet drinks, and great music. When they left she was completely relaxed, and she was also excited.

Standing in the ballroom, Angelina nodded and smiled at Dean. "It's amazing, isn't it?" She glanced down at Dean's shoes. "Glad you wore your dancing shoes. The music sounds promising." She knew her dress moved well because she'd taken it for a few practice runs in her flat.

[rar_dean]

"But of course," Dean said, glancing reflexively down at his feet. He was glad his mum had insisted he buy the formal wear last year, because it had been really nice to just charm his waistcoat a different colour and go. Shopping was such a pain in the arse, particularly for clothes like this.

He tilted his head to one side as if listening and pretended to contemplate the music, unable to keep from smiling. "Hmm, not sure this is quite a samba. But I'm game if you are." There weren't many people dancing yet, but that was all the better reason to start now. Dean held a hand out to her. "What do you say? Dance now, then get a drink and see if we can hunt down some friends?"

[rar_angelina]

Angelina noticed the dance floor was fairly empty, but that was no reason not to have a quick dance or two. "I'm always game for a dance," she said and smiled. Angelina put her hand in Dean's and let him lead her to the floor.

"I think you're right," she said. "It's almost a samba, but I'm sure we can improvise whatever it might be. Let's dance a few," she agreed. "Then we'll see who else is here and we'll have worked ourselves up for a good drink."

[rar_rita]

When Rita had first tried on her dress in the shop, she'd thought perhaps it wasn't formal enough. But then she'd turned in front of the mirror, and seen the way it cut away and showed off the best parts of her, and she hadn't cared a whit for the dress code. And then two days later she'd spotted the shoes in a shop window, and it had been love at first sight.

They dressed up the outfit quite nicely, Rita thought, as she watched her feet move in front of her on her way to the Morgana. And they were sparkly. A Marilyn-esque hairstyle, some silver chandeliers for her ears and a matching bracelet, and she felt like a million galleons.

(She had, of course, chosen 'sex on legs' in favour of 'Old world glamour', on this occasion.)

The crowd was just large enough when she arrived at the Morgana that she wasn't early, and just small enough that she managed to turn a few heads. Just how she liked it. Rita handed off her cloak to a waiting wizard and made her way into the ballroom.

She hoped it would be an interesting night.