Wonderland Waltz 2026 Spring Ball

M I L OxH A R T M A N
per aspera ad astra

❶ ❷ ❸ ❹ ❺ ❻ ❼
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He must've looked quite stupid when @Laurie Holmes told him about the ball. He'd been laying on the floor of the common room, swinging his legs back and forth, pondering how to conclude his potions essay when she'd come up to him. "You're going to the what?" He'd asked, unsure if he'd heard right. You see, last time he checked, balls were round things. You could kick a ball, you could throw it, you could play games with it and you could have dogs chase them. So when Laurie had asked if he was going to the ball, he had been mightily confused. She must've thought he was a bit dim or stupid, the way he'd sheepishly gawked at her before it dawned on her. "Oh you mean the ball." He took the pencil he'd been chewing on out of his mouth "The ball." Aye, he'd heard of that, he'd have to have been living under a rock not to. Truthfully, he was rather keen on living under rock, it certainly beat having to overhear flocks of giggling girls about their dates. Not that boys were any better, they just didn't flock, but they did brag an awful lot and egged each other on. That was why he choose to lie on the floor in some dark corner of the common room rather than on his bed, where the other boys were, puffing their chests and playing tiring games of one-upmanship. "I'm going too," he had said, or blurted rather, because he regretted all three of those words the second they had jumped the fence of his teeth. "Uh, I mean, I could come along?" Thank goodness he'd picked a dark corner of the common room to do his homework in, because he really didn't want Laurie or anyone else see the faint shade of red on his cheeks. "As a friend I mean," he added quickly. Even that was a bit of a stretch, he thought. Laurie was nice enough, but he wasn't sure he really knew her well enough to call her a friend just yet. Not going back on that now though. There's no saving yourself from what was already a save. That's where he'd left it. The ball was still some distanct point on the horizon, a concern for later, and nowhere near as important as his potions essay. At some point during the day he had begun to notice that decorations were being put up and there were an awful lot of girls in pretty dresses, but it wasn't until he entered the common room again and found it near deserted that he realized what day it was. An hour wasn't a whole lot of time to shower, do your hair, and find good clothes while trying to stay calm and remember what exactly you'd signed up for again. Still, he managed to make it there on time, perhaps dressed a bit more plainly than others, but not standing out like a sore thumb either. Now the trick would be to find Laurie in this sea of bodies. The advantage of being made out of twigs was that you could easily squeeze your way through the forest of legs and bodies without causing too much of a ripple. The downside of it was that you couldn't always see just who you were brushing past. The tall boy should have stood out amid the colorful dresses, not just because of his towering height, but because of his all-black clothes. Yet it was that same black that @Mathias Athanatos wore so proudly that caused Milo to bump nose-first into him in the first place. The absence of light had tricked the eyes into thinking there was empty space where there was in fact some part of Mathias Athanatos. Ass? Side? Leg? Shoulder? Hard to tell when you're five foot tall and not looking where you are going. “Ow!” Rubbing his nose, Milo looked up at the very tall boy. “Sorry...” He would've said sorry regardless of who he had bumped into, but in this case the need to say sorry was six foot three worth of rather expensive looking clothes. “I didn't see you,” Milo said rather lamely, realizing too late that this sounded like a rather unlikely excuse. “Sorry!” he repeated, and then dove into the crowd again, squeezing his way forward until he finally spotted Laurie. “There you are! Hey, Laurie!” he came up beside her, practically beaming. She wore a lime green dress that fitted her perfeclty and made him feel rather inadequate for showing up in just an ordinary dress shirt. At least he smelled nice and looked clean, which was more than could be said of some of the boys in his dorm. Breathing a sigh of relief, he plopped down on the nearest seat beside her and shot a glance over his shoulder toward the direction he'd come from. “Hey Laurie, do you know who that is?” he gestured vaguely in the direction of Mathias who, thanks to his height, was mercifully easy to point out. “He's in Slytherin too, right?”

Stats:

Reducio

Stamina: 3
Evasion: 10
Strength: 0
Wisdom: 8
ArcPower: 1
Accuracy: 8

Actions:

Reducio

Bumping past Mathias, talking to Laurie

@Laurie Holmes | Ballin'19/04/2026Spring Ball

Interacting: @Mathias Athanatos | @Aly Salinger

Outfit: ✿

Mentioning: @Aamon Athanatos

English | Irish | Internal thoughts

From the corner of her eye Winnie saw a cluster of sparkles catch the courtyard's light and tilted her head up to take in her friend's suit. She looked beautiful standing there wearing something that looked like it had come directly from the night sky itself. Pushing the tip of her heels down until she was on her tip toes, she raised a hand to wave to Aly above the sea of people. "Aly! Over here-." She paused when she saw Aly talking to an older boy she had not met before. Oh... There was no way she was going to interrupt her friend if she was on a date. The badgering could wait until they returned to the dorm room and Winnie made Aly share all the juicy details.

The Ravenclaw heard her husband's arrival before she saw him, a few of the glasses on the table knocking over, one hitting the ground below and shattering into shards. Her gaze quickly traced over his form to ensure he wasn't injured when she saw he had all but plowed over a first year. Sigh. It wasn't the first time, and likely not the last time. Mathias had always been prideful, but his arrogance grew daily after he was named the Athanatos heir.

Mathias stepped closer to her. Her hand found his instinctively, her arm looping around him as she peered up at him. "I wouldn't have to wait if you weren't late or if you waited for me outside my common room." She pointed out, her tone light as she continued, "I'm starting to worry you enjoy running over the first years." Her free hand smoothed down the front of his jacket idly before she would attempt to lead him away from the scene of the crime and towards where his little brother was asking a girl to dance.

​

@Felix Hawthorne@Laurie Holmes@Zephyr Deakin

4/19/26

Rosie was absolutely elated. She had been waiting for weeks to go to this ball, and she was finally able to, at last! As she walked out to the Courtyard with Felix, her friend, she saw the place. It was absolutely gorgeous, and reminded her so much of the story she read as a child. Mission accomplished, then!

"Isn't it just beautiful?" she asked Felix, as she surveyed the entire area. There were so many people all around, including friends that she wanted to say hi to at some point.

She also noticed a girl that she thought she recognized, if only from the halls and in passing. She seemed to be struggling with something that Rosie knew quite well herself, a panic attack.

Though she typically seemed quite bubbly and carefree, Rosie did struggle with anxiety. She'd learned, throughout her life, how to hide it or cope, but that meant that she was no stranger to the feeling of the walls closing in and oxygen not wanting to enter your lungs.

"Give me one second, I'll be right back." she said to Felix, before turning and walking over to the girl, who was sitting and hugging her knees to her chest.

"Hi there! I'm Rosie, and I'm here to help. Take my hands, and when I raise mine up, take a breath. Let it out when the hands go down. Ready?" Rosie asked, not giving the girl a chance to overthink things before grasping her hands and beginning to raise them, modeling the sort of deep breath that would help with the panic.

"There you go. Make sure to drink some water, and take some time alone if you need it. Let me know if you need anything else, alright?" she said after they were finished, giving her a quick deep-pressure hug, and skipping away back to Felix.

"Okay, I'm back! What should we do next?" she asked, looking around at all of the different things. Then, she saw something...or, rather, someone...that she was quite excited to see.

"WINDY!!!!!" she said, running over to Zephyr and giving him a big hug, forgetting to look back to see if Felix had followed. She did that quite often, so it was his problem if it still caught him off guard. They'd known each other for years and years and even more years, and she was still happy to see him every single time.

"How are you? Are you liking the dance? Have you done anything fun yet? I hope so! This is Felix, I think you know him. Or do you? I don't know! I don't even know if he's behind me or not! I hope you're having a good night though!" she rapid-fired, pulling away to look at him.

Surrounded by students from all years, she felt quite short, having to look up at people to see them. She'd always been rather short, but seeing the 7th-years made her feel even more so. Luckily for her, she was wearing rather tall heels, so at least she had a bit of a boost from those.

Reducio ~Action~ Walking in with Felix, helping Laurie, saying hi to Zephyr.

Reducio ~Outfit~

Reducio ~Stats~ |Sta~6|Eva~4|Str~7|Wis~7|Arc~6|Acc~5| ~Ability~ Prodigal Charms Learner

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"Riley! You look wonderful too! I love the bow!" Tina replied. Riley felt her cheeks getting hotter, and a soft pink glow settled down on them. She smiled. "Took a little inspo from me huh?" She added jokingly. Riley grinned jokingly. After Riley saw Kylie, both girls lit up. Then Riley asked if Tina wanted to go surprise her too, and you probably know the answer. "Oh you know what the answer is." Ha, got that right. "Just let me get a boba first. Ooh! They have my favorite! Strawberry Slush with Tapioca! YOU HAVE to try it Riley!" Tina began to pull Riley to the drinks table. She already had a lemonade, but suppose you can never have too many lemonade drinks.”O-ok!” She yelped.

"Well, Riley, I don't exactly have a partner. I know, its really sad, but maybe we can dance together as roommates? If a good muggle dance song comes on Kylie and I could teach you some dances. If she knows them. If she doesn't I could teach you both! I learned it all from camp." Riley smiled. This time, it was a big smile. A true, happy one. She was elated. ”Well Tina, that sounds awesome! And I hope you will teach me, because I don’t suppose we can do pointe on the dance floor!” She added jokingly. As if it couldn’t get better, another of her dorm mates showed up.

“Tina! Riley!” Fawkes said, approaching them calmly. “Are yall going over to Kylie?” Riley nodded. ”Yeah, we were just heading over! But first, we were sort of thirsty. Want to grab some drinks with us?” She nodded to the drinks table. Riley was very excited, she felt as if she couldn’t stop smiling. It was her very first dance. I mean, what wasn’t there to enjoy about it? Riley reached down to grab one of the special drinks Tina was talking about.

It looks pretty, and when Riley sipped a bit, it tasted just as lovely as it looked! What Riley didn’t realize, was that there were small balls inside of the drink. Perhaps that’s the tapioca… She thought while chewing one of the thick bubbles. Nevertheless, the drink was still good. Riley grinned at Tina. ”This is quite good!” She said, pointing to the sparkly, pink drink.

Riley was doing all kinds of things she’d never dreamed of! She’d tried new drinks, met new people, and learned lots about muggle culture. And the end it all out, she tried out for Spring Queen! If her first year could be this awesome, she wondered how amazing her second would be!

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Word Count: 406/200

Actions: hanging + getting drinks w Tina & Fawkes, approaching Kylie Stats: Wisdom: 7 • Evasion: 6 • Arcane Power: 5 • Strength: 5 • Stamina: 7 • Accuracy: 5 • Abilities: Lovely Creature | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6

Marrietta was still a little stunned she had worked up the courage to go to another ball. She would bet good galleons that it was because it was wonderland themed though. She had always adored Alice in wonderland. After reading it, she almost never read a book inside. She always read underneath one of the trees in her backyard, hoping she would see a white rabbit with a stopwatch run by and Marietta could start her own magic adventure.

Marietta squeezed the fluffy old cat in her arms, Jello purred, sensing her discomfort. She would never wish to go back to the muggle life. She could never, not after seeing winged horses, mooncalf, and nifflers. Not after finally getting the magical adventure she'd always wanted. It hadn't been as, fun, as she had always dreamed of, and it had led to her losing her mother and childhood home, sure. But knowing what she knows now, if given the choice between muggle or witch, Marietta would pick witch every time. Marietta brushed away a tear and took a deep breath Its okay to be sad sometimes as long as you remember is important to be happy sometimes too. She thought to herself, a small smile on her lips. She was determined to have a good time at this ball. After all, the labyrinth was optional this year! Marietta let out a small hollow laugh at the sudden memory of her first ball. She brushed it off though, and entered the courtyard.

Marietta wasn't typically confident about her looks, thanks to her being so tall and broad shouldered, but tonight, she felt like she actually looked, good. She moved so her golden gown shifted back and forth a little, making it catch the light various fairy lights strewn about. The gold fabric of Marietta's dress was only interrupted by another piece of fabric down the front middle of her dress, this was decorated with the images of roses, overlapping and outlined with a more subdued gold color. The bodice, while also gold, was sown together with a color similar to the roses, making for nice accenting. The dress was poofy, simple yet somehow still ostentatious enough to fit right into the 1800s, if it weren't for the half-sleeves. While they ended in thick tulle cuffs, they still only reached Marietta's elbows, sort of disrupting the historical accuracy. Marietta didn't mind though. She had learned a long time ago she was here for the snacks, and that long sleeves did nothing but get stained.

It was a hard choice, between the red diamond table and swinging on the gazebo swing. Eventually though Marietta decided on the red diamond table. After all, swings were everywhere, but food that made you grow or shrink? When would she see that again? At least, Marietta assumed they would make her do one of those things, that is what they did in the book. She looked down at Jello and asked softly, "What do you think my Cheshire cat?" Jello sniffed the air, then sneezed. Marietta laughed, "I'll take that as a 'go for it'." Her mind made up, Marietta headed for the table with Red Diamonds. She much rather shrink than grow, and if she recalled correctly Alice drank something to shrink, so Marietta looked for something to drink, checking by the 'drink me' signs first. She couldn't find anything though, just various cream filled cakes. Marietta shrugged and set Jello down, "I do hope the red velvet is actual red velvet and not just dyed chocolate." She said to herself, as she grabbed a plate & fork and served herself some red velvet cake. She took one small bite and chewed thoughtfully, to savor the flavor.

22nd April, 2026 Wednesday ──────────────── Grounds ──────────────── Mentions: @Ruth Fairchild ──────────────── Speech -- Thoughts

"Let's go, let's go, let's gooo." If Pam had to guess, her whining was probably getting on her best friend's nerves. But honestly, she was totally decked up for the event, and she needed to get out there and Ruth Fairchild was not hurrying as much as Pam would've liked her to.

She brushed a hair carelessly out of her face. Unlike last time, when she'd kept her hair open and free, she'd chosen to tie it into a low bun this time around, adorned with butterfly clips. Truth be told, she was proud of her choice of hairstyle. Looking into the mirror, she could tell it was a pretty good look on her.

She was wearing her best friend's colors. Her dress was a fiery orange, tinted with white around the edges, and in the creative part of her mind, she found it a lot similar to a soft fire. The type that provided warmth and did not burn through human and things alike.

Alice in Wonderland.

It was one of the first novels she had ever read. She had grown to appreciate the story over time, although the first time she'd read it, she'd been way too confused about what was happening in the story and had spent way too much time flipping through previous pages in an attempt to understand what on earth had been going on to actually enjoy the read.

The second time had been much better.

Stepping into the courtyard, Pam had her breath taken away from her in an instant.

Decorated with fairy lights and chandeliers, the Hogwarts grounds had been transformed into a place out of a fairytale book. Pam's eyes shifted, watching, scanning, until they came to rest on a glowing white gazebo, or more specifically, the swings attached to the large oak trees. For a second, everything blurred, the music, the sounds. The glow of the fairy lights caught on the chains, and Pam was momentarily transported back to a simpler time, chasing laughter that came easy and a warmth that felt like home. The memory slipped away as quickly as it came, leaving behind something familiar and bittersweet, something she didn’t quite realize she had missed until now.

Pam reminded herself that she wasn't alone. Her childhood would have to wait, for now. She turned away. Ruth Fairchild stood beside her, touched by the same glow which illuminated the world that night. She smiled softly at her, "Well, since you've survived through my nagging without killing me, you may choose our first destination."

Action: Entering the ball with Ruth
Stats: Sta: 6 | Eva: 8 | Str: 5 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 6
Abilities: Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition

OC: Sorry, this character is a mixture of odd, kind, awkward, and weird; but he has money and a decent face. Good luck.



@Angel Dayes

Aamon had absolutely planned this, having learned from his elder brothers. Yes, plural, because one, or even two Athanatos' were not enough. Move on, carry on, and forget about her. In fact, that was, unfortunately, becoming a pattern.

He bided his time, as brief as it was, standing there, appearing perfectly composed, perfectly occupied with looking like he belonged exactly where he was despite the fact that it was a facade. It usually was a farce, just some purebloods trusted the Kool-aide they were drinking when others like him knew it was a cup of poison.

Move on, he reminded himself as he found someone rather quickly. A little, pale thing. He preferred small things, less dangerous, easier to outrun. Asian of some sort, but he had little experience distinguishing beyond the broad continental designation. While his brothers had briefly gotten sent to Mahoutokoro, his exposure to cultures beyond the United Kingdom and Greek tradition passed down within the family, was limited.

He did not know the girl was a dhampir, had he, he probably would not have been so lax about his greeting or his offer to dance. In his juvenile, somehow optimistic mind, she resembled a bride and for whatever reason that notion gave him a small, inward smile. Nothing dark or drab, a celebratory notion that did not make his stomach hurt.

Lost in thought, Aamon blinked once when she spoke. Twice when she curtsied. "Oh-- no, I mean right... yes," Aamon said quickly, lowering his hand just slightly before remembering that retracting it now would be worse. Much worse. Socially catastrophic, even.

He straightened almost immediately, posture snapping back into something far more deliberate, far more practiced. Standing at 5 foot 4 inches, he was taller than most of his peers and significantly taller than the girl. She had a nice... top of head. Yes, nary a flake of dander to be seen. If he was going to initiate a dance, he was at least going to commit to it with dignity.

"…You didn't," Aamon added, a bit more composed now, "I was... standing here. In a very intentional way." Not coming or going, and not really one to blend in with his surroundings even if he sometimes wished he could. That sounded better in his head.

Her acceptance caught him off guard just enough that his fingers hesitated before gently taking hers. His grip was careful, measured, but not overly familiar. Like he’d been taught this, drilled in it, but still occasionally forgot which version of himself was supposed to be present. In fact most of his instructors were goblins, he was used to dancing with the vertically challenged, which to an Athanatos included most average heighted people.

"Right. Excellent. Good decision," Aamon muttered under his breath, mostly to himself. The boy was dressed in finery that he was accustomed to, in a setting he was groomed for, but he was still filled with anxiety. The nagging voice of the imposter, the coward, and the sleeper. Sometimes he wished the same sin was threaded through him as it was through his more confident and capable siblings.

He stepped back just enough to guide her into the motion of the dance floor, eyes flicking briefly around as if checking whether anyone had noticed his… improvisation. His brothers definitely had. He ignored that.

"Aamon," he said, after a moment, as if remembering that names were part of the process. "My name is Aamon," he clarified, remembering that context was important. He left out the surname, if the girl was literate, the dance would be short.

As the music carried them into their first steps, Aamon moved with surprising precision. Not effortless, but practiced over countless hours. The kind of practiced that came from being told repeatedly that this mattered and from perhaps sometimes renewing his skill with a pillow wearing a wig. She was prettier than the wig-pillow at least.

"And you are…?" he prompted, tilting his head slightly.

Walking towards the ball she keeps her eye out for her date. Surprisingly Axel is going. Not so surprising it was Hazel that got him to go. She sat there begging him for days. She threatened him with silence which he all too happily agreed to. After a couple days of feeling like she was dying inside trying to give him silence until he agreed to go, she sent him three owls at once all begging him to go to the ball. He finally agreed, either out of annoyance of her constant pestering or he actually wanted to go. But he stunned her when he asked her to be his date.

Looking around, everything was amazing. The courtyard was decorated as Alice in Wonderland. A book she finds delight in reading, reminding her of bedtimes with her father. He would choose a book and read one chapter of it every night. Alice in Wonderland happened to be a book that her father favoured. When she became old enough, he had her see the movies. Now here she is, in a land of her dreams. Smoothing out her dress, she's quite proud of this one. She picked up sewing at the age of seven on a rainy day. Her dress was a type of pink so light that it was almost white. Decorated with red roses, she has gloves that are white as snow. Pairing it with heels that look like glass, they also have little roses on them. Patting her hair carefully to smooth it down, it reminds her of the late night of her practicing to perfect the weaving of flowers in her hair to make them look like a head band.

Playing with her hands nervously, she lets out a sigh of relief when she spots him. Walking up towards him, her heels click slightly against the floor. Smiling excitedly, she grabs his hand from behind, pulling him until he faces her. "Axey! You made it!" Using the hand she's holding, she pulls him into a deep hug.