Ballroom

An unspoken rule of Scottish castles states that in order to be considered one of their ranks, said castle must flaunt a room exuding grandeur and dripping with beauty. Hogwarts is no exception, and on its fourth floor, plays host to its own ballroom, a room never lacking for space and a sight to take the breath of any individual with skepticism about love, beauty, and awe.

Hanging from arched ceilings, almost cathedral-like in both mood and eloquence, a singular candelabra chandelier dripping with white diamonds and tasteful amber hangs directly overhead, circled by lesser, but no less intrinsic candelabra chandeliers made of gleaming gold, shaped in the fashions of leaves and connected by interpretation of phoenixes in flight. On the walls of the grand hall, portraits, specifically, those depicting ballet dancers, men in formalwear, and other magical couples, may be caught dancing with the music and the students who waltz in the center underneath the amber and diamond chandelier, while others may fawn and mawkishly encourage cold-shouldered students to dance with the girl or boy that the portraits want (or merely want to see) said student with. A stage can be placed before the windows, allowing performers to fill the acoustic room with music with perfect tone and reverberation if a live performance is taking place.

The lighting of the ballroom varies on the occasion of the event, whether it be the frosty lighting in a Yule Ball, an ominous thrill for Halloween, or gently fading pinks, greens, and other spring colours for the Blossomball. All of these lightings seem too exude from Will 'o the Wisp-like orbs, which gently float about the entirety of the ballroom, shedding a gentle glow wherever they are needed and adding dramatic lighting for any especially spirited couple who find themselves dancing in the centre of the room beneath the phoenixes. That is not to say that natural lighting is unusual; indeed, on the far wall, open windows to offer breaths of air can introduce golden sunlight and cause shadows of the dancers to grace the walls.

For the most part, however, the ballroom is empty, and its wisp-like lights aimlessly float about the room at twilight and deep into the night, glowing in tailored hues to reflect any passerby's mood. Silence and perfected reverberation is in constant supply in this rich room of culture and history, its high ceiling both foreboding and lonely at the same time. Dancers and singers alike find themselves at home in this ballroom, whether it be performing their graceful arts within the walls or listening to their straining echoes of melody fade into the air.