Yule Ball

The Great Hall was completely transformed, decked out in white with large trees standing in every corner. Tables were set aside, white cloths draped over them and chairs, too. A fountain was now located in the room, as were many tables filled with lavish foods and desserts.

Eirina stood at the back of the Great Hall, smiling and awaiting the arrival of all of the students.

Jett stood in front of the doors to the Great Hall, patient and calm. He was dressed as dapper as he could, looking sleek in all black. He was a bit early to meet Ella as he was determined to arrive before her. How he manged to get ready in time was a mystery, though. He had spent all afternoon in front of the mirror perfecting his wind swept hair and practicing the smile he would use to greet his date. When he was satisfied with the handsome young man he saw looking back at him, he made his down from the tower.

Now all there was to do was wait. His heart was a flutter with the thought of his stunning date and the glorious time they would share tonight. As other couples met and walked off into the hall past him Jett couldn't help but grin cheerfully at everyone in turn. He had the distinct feeling his lips would be hurting at the end of the night from all the smiling he was going to be doing.

Vincent walked down to the Great Hall to wait for his date. He hoped he would have fun. He wasn't much of a dancer. As he walked down he noticed Jett standing there.

"Hey, Long time no see." He hadn't really spoken to Jett much since he had come so he thought now would be the best time to do so.

Ella walked, her dress elegantly falling over her body and blowing out behind her like the winds whispering into a waterfall. Her shine shone bright with it's faint tan as she entered into the very white, well lit setting of the reformed Great Hall. She bore a simple smile on her face, though beautifully dawned. Her eyes glistened with the color of the new earth, reborn and growing in the lush of spring. Her hair flowed to one side, mimicking the rambunctious waves that hit the sun as it set itself to sleep.

The steps of her feet were slow, cautiously and as quietly as she could, though heels tended to make noise as they hit marbled floor. She looked around, peeking through corners, not sure if she was too early, or too late for the ball, wondering if her arrival was at a proper timing on either side of perfect.

She hadn't originally planned on going to the Ball at all, but at the last minute, changed her mind, thinking it would be expected of her as the new Deputy for Hogwarts. There apparently was no handbook on how to be act and what to do in her situation, so she thought the least risk would be in attending for the first half hour, rather than not attending at all.

She was slightly embarrassed to have to deal with any of this at all, fearing she would somehow make a fool of herself, whether it be from a lack of fashion sense, or some characteristic she hadn't thought of. She had to go through the back of her closet just to find a dress that still fit her, and she had hoped she didn't look too foolish in the strange lace sleeves.

As she passed the students and headed into the Great Hall, she was somewhat put at ease about her own attire when she saw the Headmistress and her adequately bold dress. "Good evening Headmistress." Madison greeted with a smile, perhaps gaining more confidence now that she was here. She picked a spot near Eirina's side, and turned back to the massive doors where she had previously seen the students waiting.

Alex waited outside of the Great Hall, nervously looking down at her feet. She wasn't sure what to expect - she hadn't known Jackson for that long, and yet she had said yes to going with him to the Yule Ball. As guilty as it made her feel, she had to admit that one of the main reasons she had accepted his offer was because she didn't want to turn up without a date. However, she was sure that she'd like him better as they spent more time together, or at least, that was what she hoped.

Alex's Dress:

She nervously picked at her dress, imagining there to be a lot wrong with her dress when in fact, she looked much better than she did usually. She had spent ages getting ready tonight, even daring to ask a few of the older girls in the Ravenclaw common room to help her with her hair and makeup. Her dress was new - her mother had sent it over as soon as she had heard Alex would be attending the Yule Ball. So Alex had more than one to please tonight - her mother would want to hear all about it later.

Alex stood on her tiptoes, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of Jackson through the crowd of students pouring down the staircase, but to no avail. She sighed, and found a pillar to lean against, hoping he would be along soon - her heels were making her feet tired (she was not used to wearing them) - and was, even if she wouldn't admit it, a little bit scared that he wouldn't turn up.

Matthieu decided his time would be best spent outside of the dancing area, to avoid the Matchmaking Headmistress. He planned on going in eventually, but he didn't want people to think he didn't have a date. Not that that wasn't the case, but as his mother said, "Appearances are everything." Honestly, Matthieu couldn't care less what people thought.

Claudia was happy about the Yule Ball. Her mom had sent her a dress for the ball and although it was beautiful she felt awkward in it. She walk carefully down the stairs to the Great Hall. She felt weird going with someone she barely knew but it was better than not going at all. She looked around at everyone. They all looked really nice. She stood against the wall to pass time and so she wouldn't bring any attention to herself.

Yull Ball Outfit::

As Jett waited he was approached by his old friend, Vincent. He turned to him with a smile, eager to congratulate him.

"Vincent! I knew you would be champion the moment I saw you. Good luck mon ami!" He clasped the other student on the shoulder. "How are you liking your stay? Is it-"

In mid conversation Jett broke off, a glint of white catching his eye. He looked over to view Ella in all her glory, trailing down the corridor towards him. Her beauty trapped his breath in his lungs, locking it away until she smiled. The walls around her faded away as did the noise leaking out from the Great Hall behind him. The world was a soft blur in the back of his mind, it may never have fully existed at all. Everything in his vision was swishing fabric and sleek hair. A dreamy smile found its place on his lips as his green eyes found hers and stayed.

He left Vincent with no notice, making straight for Ella. No one else mattered more in this moment. After an eternity he finally reached her and reached out his hand to grasp hers. Her skin was silk in his hand and he held it like it was a priceless diamond. Slowly he brought it up to his lips and graced the top of it with his lips.

"Ella, you are the most beautiful sight my eyes have ever beheld." To Jett, in the moment, it was true.

Timothy found his date against the wall. Clara? No, Claudia. He had to remember. He fixed his emerald green tie before going up to her.
"Hello. Claudia." He smiled his Charming Smile. "You look wonderful."

((Apologies for lateness!))

Jackson followed the noise and press of the other students. He hoped he looked alright. He had been so nervous he'd buttoned his shirt up wrong twice. He hoped Alex would be able to find him alright... He straightened his bowtie and found a section of wall across from the Great Hall doors to lean against.

((Apologies for lateness!))

As more and more students entered the great hall, Alex was able to spot her date in the thinning crowd. She craned her neck and yelled his name over the heads of the other students, using her elbows to navigate her way through the crowd. Upon reaching him, she poked his arm awkwardly, trying to let him know she was beside him. "Hey," she said, smiling. "You look nice."

She wasn't sure if that was an appropriate thing to say - did it matter to Jackson how he looked? She leant against the wall next to him, and giggled as he straightened his bowtie - he had made it cocked to the side, although Alex figured that was because he didn't know. She helped him fix it and asked, "should we go in?"

The clatter and garish decorations of the Great Hall offended Adalrik's senses when he finally made his way into the room. All around him he spotted expensive dresses, tailored suits, needless frivolities. Faces flashed before him grinning like idiots under the spell of a love potion. He pushed his way past a gaggle of girls comparing their makeup and gave them a contemptuous glare.  

His arm slipped around Erika's waist as they moved through the crowds. Adarlik was focused on the schools headmistress, eager to know when this first dance would take place and he would leave. The feeling of Erika's small waist under his arm felt oddly appealing, though. He couldn't recall a time they were touching like this. It often played in his mind, what her skin would feel like, how her hair would run under his fingers, but never had he let himself dream of it actually happening. To let himself dream that would put too much substance to his feelings, might make them true.

He turned his head to her, catching her eye. One dance and he would let her go, let his feelings fade back into their hidden cavern in his heart.

Claudia noticed Timothy walking over to her and smiled a little. "hey, Thank you, you look nice as well." She was happy that it wasn't going to be awkward between then although she felt awkward being there at all. She let out a breath while taking in her surroundings. "It is quite beautiful how they have decorated the place don't you think?" It was such a sight to see.

(It's fine)

Jackson smiled as Alex poked his arm and said he looked nice.
"Thanks." He lifted his head a bit as she fixed his bowtie, also referring to the compliment. "Er, I'm sure you look great, too. Yeah, let's go have fun." He grinned and offered his hand to hold. He hoped it was only his bowtie that needed fixing, he didn't want to embarrass Alex in front of everyone.

"Indeed." Timothy glanced around. The decoration was elegant, he supposed, and thankfully he had yet to see Hogwarts have a themed Yule Ball. He glanced at Claudia. She seemed rather nervous. "Would you like to get some punch before the dancing starts?"

Alex smiled and clasped Jackson's hand, hoping he wouldn't notice how sweaty her hand was - when she was nervous, her hands would clam up. She walked forward, past the great big doors that had intimidated her so much in her first year, then into the great hall. She gasped - the room had been transformed. It was beautiful, a lot better than she had expected. She led Jackson to the side of the Great hall, not wanting to put him in the middle of a crowded space. She wasn't sure what to do next - she figured that she wouldn't get to dance tonight, seeing as Jackson couldn't see, and while that did make her sad, she was thankful that she at least had someone to spend the night with. "Um," she said, letting go of his hand. "What would you like to do first?"

"Hey," Miron stood at the bottom of the stairs, and called up to Eleanie as she stood there, dead as a doorknob. He couldn't believe this was the best Hogwarts could offer, but when she began to descend, he smirked. His only hope on beating both Adalrik and Vincent in one swoop was starting to look more like a wilting flower than venomous fly-trap. He told himself to just get her through the night now, smack some sense into her later.

"Ready?" He asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs. He took the time now to shamelessly get a good look at her, though. She would have to do, but he wasn't too impressed. The fact that she appeared nervous probably kept him from seeing how stunning she actually was. Lot of girls were stunning, and if she was offended by her date not offering compliments, she would have to get over it.

Alex took Jackson' hand and lead him into the Great Hall. She gasped at something and led him to the side.
"I don't really mind what we do first. What did you gasp at?" He figured they had decorated the hall nice, as well as moving the tables. He hoped Alex could tell him what the decorations were like. He hoped he wouldn't stutter too bad if they played a slow song.

Alex grinned. "It looks amazing - I wish you could see it," she said. She didn't elaborate though - she didn't want Jackson to feel bad. She wasn't sure how he felt about his blindness - was he okay with it? Was he born with it? Would he even understand what she was talking about if she did describe what the Great Hall looked like?

"You could, um, you could try to describe it to me? I mean, if you want to?" Jackson twisted his torso back and forth for a second before he realized and made himself stay still. There was no reason to be nervous. He was glad he'd left his cane in his dormitory and didn't have to worry about it.

"Oh. Um, okay," she said, taking hold of Jackson's shoulders and spinning him so that they were both facing the doors. "The doors - they're shimmery, whiter, lighter," she smiled. "They look... more magical, in a fairy-tale kind of way." Turning him so that they were facing the rest of the great hall, she told him about the large white trees, the fountain in the middle of the hall, the white draped chairs and tables. Grabbing his hand, she led him over to one of the tables, which looked almost as if they were about to collapse under the weight of all the desserts they were holding. "I think I might get a cavity just looking at all these sweet things," she joked, squeezing his hand. "Do you want anything?"