Quidditch Stands || Secret Blossom Ball Event

A few faces she recognized made their way to the stands. Serena Towers, a Hufflepuff and a pure blood. She recalled the girl because she was a bit of a cry baby. Also because she kept track of the people that were pure bloods. Eventually her brother was going to need to find someone. She was incredibly passive, a potentially good choice she reasoned. Then there was Nico Shymane, the girl was on the Quidditch Team with her, they shared a dorm and a house. She was a dhampir, also a bit of a cry baby. Weak. Cloverfield liked her for whatever reason, but she had a sense of uncertainty when she looked at the pair. They were Prefects. Serena even became Head Girl in her first year, an unheard of achievement and position of status that made no sense and filled her with dis-ease and mistrust. Her peers were getting picked off one-by-one and oddly enough most people seemed to just carry on without noticing.

The Professors.

The Prefects.

The other students.

It was bizarre. Madness. But she was not going top address the do if she was not being addressed. She eyed them cautiously. They did not want her. She got the feeling that they did not like her either. That they would--

The thought left her head when she caught the site of him. Her head was a bit swimmy, some from endorphins, some from the bottle of fire whisky in her hand that she was stress drinking. She smiled broadly when she saw him and temporarily forgot about the bottle she was shamelessly drinking from a few minutes before.

"ERIN!"

Parce called out.

She let out a laugh in reply, he was not close enough to say anything without needless shouting. She would step over a row of seats herself, wobbling a bit on her heels. "You really made it," she was a bit giddy. It was in part relief and in part it was the fire whisky. She sounded a bit surprised because she was, she was trying to hide that and she was doing a poor job. She expected that he would be a no-show again like he always was.

"Erin, I'm so sorry, but I need your help! There's something very bad that's probably going to happen since the professors wanted to cancel the ball for a reason. Wh - what are you drinking?"

An abrupt change of mood. From relief, a want to embrace him and smooch him to concern. She still had the whisky in hand, a mistake as she dumbfounded girl who was mildly inebriated replied with a less than verbose "--huh?" Her drink was snatched from her hand.

Pure fire whisky in a potion bottle. The scent unmistakable and if the bottle was full when she started, she had not consumed enough to be drunk but enough to feel happy. "Something for my nerves," a half-truth rather than a lie. As if her angelic boyfriend would have anything to do with anything stronger than pumpkin juice. She was not going to fight him for the only slightly consumed bottle. She needed no tonic as long as she had him. "But I don't need it no more," she announced before an awkward exchange.

"OH, uh...here."

She looked down at the happy flower and the vivid purple resting on a bed of greenery. She was not familiar with corsages, it was a practice she was unfamiliar with. Tiny flowers to wear. How novel and charming. The nonverbal indicated it was to be worn.

"It's...it's a corsage. My mom sent it along with my boutonniere. You know...to match."

"How curious," something new. She held out her hand. "Pretty things," her eyes widened. The concept of aesthetic beyond the symmetry and the expected plane seemed like foreign concepts that she was attempting to grasp. Plants, having a favorite based on 'liking' it was peculiar. Like a favored color or sound. These were notions based on emotion, the sentiments raised from a heart she did not always have. "I like it!" She exclaimed.

Then she shook her head, there was something more important that her overly emotional brain only partially caught. Help. "What's wrong with the ball Parce?"

Mentions @Jack Burnett and @Erin Ryan in passing | Open to Interactions

Ah. That day, at last. The day of the Secret Blossom Ball.

The ball that couldn't have been more incorrectly named.

See, not only was it ironically labeled "secret", but the mere fact that these children thought this gathering was going to be all blossoms and good vibes made Dmitri want to tear off at least three-quarters of his recently-bleached hair.

First of all, Dmitri wasn't exactly certain how multitudes of children simultaneously sneaking out of their respective houses so close to curfew while also chattering the whole way would count as "secret". It was a miracle how none of them got caught yet, seeing as most of the younger ones have been bumbling like a bunch of baboons the past couple of minutes throughout the whole walk from the castle to the pitch, excited for their first blossom ball experience. It was fortunate that the organizers have had the hindsight to prepare school brooms around the perimeter of the venue as getaway vehicles because with the way things are going, they didn't have much time left before eventually being found out.

Second, for the whole three years that Dmitri has been attending Hogwarts, none of the balls have ever turned out peaceful and have gone off completely without a hitch. In fact, most of the tragedies that have ever happened since he'd entered the school have been centered around large groups and gatherings of students--misfortune seemed to follow any event that involved a major chunk of the school's population.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to gather the student population in this way without the knowledge of responsible adults at night, past curfew, is seriously just asking for something to happen.

Dmitri huffed as he climbed the stairs of the Quidditch stands.

Despite his complaints, the Slytherin still chose to attend the event--all in the purpose of getting to the bottom of all of this. One way or another, things are going down, and he has prepared himself for it (his practical and comfortable outfit made sure of that). Maybe then he'd get answers and finally have an end to all this uncertainty around the happenings around the school.

He has a vague suspicion that things aren't what they all seem.

He chose the stands specifically for its vantage point--the view spanned the whole quidditch pitch. If one were interested in observing and waiting for the pin to drop, it was the perfect spot.

A few familiar faces were scattered around the seats, one of them being the weird Slytherin couple he noticed from the Slytherin Dorm Battles. They seemed to be affectionate, as one would expect. If he cared enough about anyone besides himself, he would have known them to be Jack Burnett and Erin Ryan, two of the more well-known names of the student population. But alas, Dmitri only ever recognized them as just another two faces in a random sea of eager, excited prepubescents (though Ryan appeared to be his age) in this ball.

He'd only nod casually at the two before situating himself in a secluded corner, eyes glued to the hustle and bustle down below. Best case scenario, nothing happens and he gets bored. Worst case scenario, at least one of them was going to perish tonight.

Dmitri has already prepared for both outcomes--he brought a textbook to keep him occupied, and the wand in his pocket was almost vibrating in its anticipation for a fight.

STATS AND ABILITIES

Reducio

"Cool." Lamik said with a small nod after hearing Elena's approval. With a relaxed exhale, he sat down onto one of the seats and gestured for her to sit on the one next to him. Finally having a chance to look at her properly, Lamik came to the conclusion that she looked pretty in her outfit. The question of how much it cost briefly flew through his mind, but it quickly vanished. This was because of the girl's question- what happened to his tie? "Well..." He started "...Ties are uncomfortable and useless and quite frankly impractical." Looking down at himself, lamik actually thought it looked pretty good. He would keep this arrangement in mind for the next event.

Lamik laughed a bit when Elenna suggested that he used Fumos to get out of a bad situation. "If the only one I were trying to protect was you, or if I were trying to run away, then that would work. But..." Lamiks voice trailed off for a few moments before picking back up "Well- if something goes wrong, I want to help everyone, not only you." Of course, it didn't make much sense for him to have the capability to help everyone, and quite frankly he didn't. The Gryffindor refused to acknowledge that, however. He was scared and he was determined.

Wearing:

Reducio

It was...so very strange to be greeted with as much enthusiasm as Erin displayed, seemingly so overwhelmed by the sight of him that she was sooner able to laugh than say anything in return. Erin of all people. The girl who had seemed so surly, protective, hostile, and aggressive ever since Jack had first met her. The contrast between then and now was so unreal to Jack that for a moment he had a hard time believing they were the same person.

Even more astonishing was when the third year claimed to have been drinking what most certainly smelled like alcohol 'for her nerves'. Under other circumstances, Jack might have been angry or irritated out of concern for the part-veela, but in this case, he just couldn't be man. The realization that she must have been drinking because she have been nervous that he wouldn't show up both endeared her to him and also filled him with an awful lot of sympathy and sorrow on the pureblood's behalf.

Overtaken by a sudden, powerful, condensed bullet of emotion, the boy quickly stowed away the bottle in his bag. Upon properly fastening the corsage with the mini sunflowers and other blossoms to Erin's wrist, Jack set bag down at his feet so he could properly hug Erin tight with both arms.

"You're amazing," he told her softly, almost seeming to speak into her hair before grinning and pulling back. "And you look more fantastic as ever. You should always smile like this." After a moment's hesitation, he moved to kiss her cheek."Umm…maybe not wear such high heels next time, though? As if you aren't tall enough already. I have to stand on a whole stand higher to reach you properly," he told her with a quiet chuckle.

By the third-year's reaction to his corsage, Jack guessed that the girl and maybe purebloods or even wizardkind in general were not familiar with such tokens as part of their culture. He almost regretted it and was about to put it away, but the wonder that shone in those wide, gleaming gray eyes gave him pause. Did she...not mind it? Taking her offered hand as his answer, the redhead was careful to tie it securely, but not too tight. He restrained his great amusement at her comment of 'pretty things' behind a gentle smile, though had to exude a bit more effort at the innocent delight at her following exclamation.

Despite all that, however, the attentive and intelligent purple-haired girl had not allowed Jack's first concerns to be forgotten with the introduction of her colorful new accessory. Charmed by her attention to detail and consideration for his worries, he was almost able to pretend that the barb of the false name, 'Parce' did not hurt. At least outwardly, he had become accustomed enough to it by now that it failed to visibly affect him - the only thing that really mattered for the time being.

"I...I don't have a whole lot of time to explain," he admitted remorsefully, "But a few other students and I are pretty sure something bad's about to happen soon. I want to cause a distraction and maybe get as many people to evacuate as I can, so..." With a sheepish grin, he took one of her hands in his. "Would you...maybe be able to take me to where the bludgers are being kept?"

As he spoke, he noticed an upperclassman acknowledge his and Erin's presence with a nod and discreetly nodded back, trying to remember the other boy's name. Jack knew he'd seen him around before, as the fellow was quite well-known for his impeccable grades, but they had yet to meet properly.

Well, that would have to wait until later. There were more pressing matters afoot. The redhead turned back to Erin with urgency in his features, hoping she could and would be able to help him.

Interacting with: @Erin Ryan & @Dmitri Jones

He wasn't one to judge others for breaking the rules. Hell, it was a miracle he hadn't gotten himself a broken leg or worse but even he knew when an idea was just plain bad. Not even the clever type of bad that simply landed you in detention with maybe a slap on the wrist, oh no. These events were cursed, that much should be obvious to anyone with a lick of common sense. Similar events had ended in fire and pain with the teachers around as some semblance of order so when it started going around that the ball was back on. A secret party late into the night. Yeah, he'd instantly felt like the whole thing was doomed before it even began.

So of course he had to go.

In his defense he'd almost hadn't . The logical part of his brain tag teaming with the very real laziness that almost had him simply shrugging off the entire thing but then it'd struck. The horrible defiant part of his brain that had whispered all the what ifs, forcing the temptation of seeing another cursed event for himself. It didn't hurt that he knew it'd be the perfect time to get some inspiration without having to go out of his way.

A horrible idea really but he found he couldn't care less once he actually got a look at the ball and everyone there after immediately making a beeline for the stands to get a good view of everything.


Now he didn't go all dolled up like he could see the rest of the school gearing up for. He didn't see the point. He wasn't there to really socialize or dance or even eat so why bother dressing up for something that he probably wouldn't actually participate in the way it was meant to? In the end he'd made good with normal clothing that he was comfortable enough in to just lounge around in, a simple black turtleneck, black jeans to match and the simple green scarf loosely hanging around his neck. His bag, stuffed with his robes and distractions the only companion he'd deemed needed.

Honestly it hadn't been until half way to the pitch he'd realized how slytherin he looked all but flaunting their colors. He'd thought it was hilarious, especially thinking about the letter he'd written back to George. He wondered how the other had taken it...

"Maybe I should bug him," he chuckled, easily slipping a small book and pencil from his bag.

He leaned, plopping his chin in his hand as he took in the party below catching sight of a few familiar faces, and distantly skimming over faces and outfits till his attention was caught. At first his nose wrinkled at it, taking in the brunet boys outfit it was nice but nothing that should catch his eye yet for some reason it lingered and-

"Huh, that might work," he hummed, thoughtfully.

Side eyeing where he'd passed by another boy when coming to the stands he tapped against the book thinking for a second before just as quickly turning his gaze back to the book in his lap. Leaning back against the chair lazily to scribble in the pages as a new idea came to mind.

Interacting with @Sean Hearth,
Mentioning Ruby Cazares and Jack Burnett
Open for Interactions!
{Entered stands, came from changing rooms}

Pausing to grab a ribbon from the LGBTQIAP table, Margo made her way towards a familiar dark head in the stands. She fastened a scarlet ribbon around her wrist as she walked, clueless as to what it represented, but enjoying the colour all the same. The food table caught her eye and she snagged a sandwich before carrying on with her journey. The rising benches of the Quidditch Stands provided a minor obstacle but she jumped up one at a time, thankful that she hadn't worn strappy heels like many other girls. She passed a serious-looking boy in a green, tailed coat, looking away from her feet for a second too long. She wobbled, pausing to steady herself and lean down to shove her wand deeper into her left boot. Tonight would not be a good time to drop it -- there were so many students milling about that she doubted she'd ever find it again.

Crouching with one hand stuck in her boot, Margo hoped that nobody on the pitch looked upwards. Short dresses came with their price, and her bare legs were showing far too much for her comfort. She quickly righted herself, freezing when she felt another, forgotten object against her calf. In a little jewellery pouch was the bracelet she'd meant to give Ruby. It was an exact replica of the snake on her own arm, inexpensive and small, but something she wished she'd gotten out of the way. Gift-giving was not something Margo did very often. She usually sewed something for a family member's birthday but to gift a 'friend-date' at a ball was a whole new experience. She'd just have to act like it was no big deal and perhaps throw the girl a sarcastic remark or two. Luckily, Ruby was not someone Margo found particularly hard to get along with.

However, she found the Hufflepuff boy that she approached very difficult to understand. Sean was everything that she was not -- kind, honest and a little shy. Margo shot him a half-smile as she sat, priding herself on the fact that she would now be taller than him when she stood. Heels truly were marvellous creations.

"Fancy seeing you here." She winked at the boy. "Whoever organised this must have been very talented indeed."

She looked down at the supposed sandwich that she had picked up as an excuse not to look into his eyes. It was a rather strange piece of food -- primarily filled with a circular slab of mincemeat and much taller than it was wide. Margo's brows furrowed as she realised that the meat was warm. If this was a muggle invention, then muggles were indeed strange creatures. She was all for defying the trends, but heating the middle of a sandwich and not the bread seemed a little pointless. She remembered the label on the plate saying something along the lines of 'burger', heaven knows what that was.

She held the offending snack up for Sean to see. "Any idea what this is?"

Reducio

Margo’s outfit

entering from quidditch pitch
Open to interactions

As no came into the stands she noticed there were more people than there were when she left, she went to an empty bench and sat down, she enjoyed the view of the ball from there she leaned back and kept watching them, it seemed magical, so many colours and being away from them made them more magical as if the stands were aloft from the quidditch pitch, she smiled to herself as she moved her hair out of her eyes , it still annoyed her but now was bearable, she music the lights and everything felt magical, she started rubbing her hands together again as it was colder in the stands then in the pitch, she looked around a bit nervous because she seemed to be the only one trying to get warm. She sighed and looked out into the crowd, she seemed to find some people that she knew, but mostly there were people older and she couldn't recognize. Once more thoughts popped up into her head what if someone let slip of this to the faculty, what if all of us get in trouble? What if this was a trap to get rule breakers caught? she thought, she enjoyed what once was the whisper of The Secret Blossom Ball, and she enjoyed it, it was real and she atleast could appreciate the present.

Interacting with: @Nico Shymane | Open to Interactions

Serena blinked as she heard her name, glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes landed on the familiar looking face of the Prefect of Slytherin. It had been a little while she had seen her around - they did not share a house nor a class, sadly. However, she still really liked her. The Hufflepuff recalled every meeting they had had, it was always sweet. A grin appeared on her face as she spotted her, "Nico!" She responded, with a lot more enthusiasm than the younger girl, "How are you?!" She asked quickly, it had been some time for definite.

The Hufflepuff was small but nonetheless, she quickly moved up to her and embraced her, giving her a gentle squeeze, "You look so beautiful!" She complimented, releasing her from the hug to take in the full outfit. She definitely felt very underdressed compared to Nico - and everyone else entering the pitch, it seemed. However, she was fine with that. Serena was not here to party, really. She was here to protect. The pitch was her life; she would defend it. Students had a nasty habit of ruining every single place they held a party at.

The truth was, Serena actually did not realise this was a secret ball. Something this large and on this scale had to be planned by the teachers right? At least, that was her logic. So she never once went up to a teacher to tell them. If she knew it was done without their permission, she would have ratted the whole plan out straight away to ensure that it was cancelled and her pitch was saved. Even if everyone hated her. Because let's be fair, she was used to people hating on her for no reason. It happened for the whole of her second year, all because of some stupid gryffindor boys doing stupid things.

Open to interactions
Interacting with: @Sean Hearth

As Jo noticed the boy sitting and looking into the crowd she gives him a small wave and a smile, he seems to be in the same situation as her, she wanted to sympathize with him, and at the greatest get to know him. The stands were still chiefly deserted, and that somewhat calmed her down. A lot of people were dressed in what seemed to be their most beloved dresses, and the stands and the pitch were filled with colours, and the disco ball didn't help, for some reason, she thought it would look disorientated but no, it looked good from up above. There was a slight wind, and it made her shiver more, she gave up and put on the jacket from around her waist warming herself instantly, she was never used to being outside, and knowing herself she brought a jacket, she smiled to herself, she brushed her hair onto her shoulder, she had given up on trying to look nice, the breeze the music and the lighting with the bubbles was magical by itself, but the idea of Just students doing this was even more magical, she sighed and leaned back. She closed her eyes for a moment but awoke herself because it would have been odd to fall asleep while at a ball.

Interacting with @Serena Towers | Open to interactions

Her excitement was answered with even more excitement. Nico was convinced that maybe Serena had forgotten about her. But quite the opposite, it seemed. It took her by surprise as her cheeks flustered a soft red again. 'I-I'm pretty okey. Kinda nervous about this whole thing, haha..'

The Hufflepuff was alot smaller than her but her hugs were just as warm and sincere. Not everyone was a good hugger. Hufflepuffs seemed to be really good at it. Her pale fragile arms gently embraced her. 'I missed you. How have YOU been, though?' Upclose, her ice blue hues scanned her outfit once more. Nearly every single item was Hufflepuff themed. Badger here, badger there. Incredible. She hadn't seen anyone yet who was so dedicated to their House's merchandise. 'You look just as bright as I remembered. Love the overdose of... your House.' She smiled, chuckling softly. Not in a mocking way. Nico truly admired how Serena felt right at home in Hufflepuff. It was a sight for sore eyes to see something so happy.

"You look so beautiful!"

Was it that obvious? Of course it was. With every compliment she got, she felt more and more 'extra'. She knew it. Nico should've sticked with the regular cute dress she wore at the Valentines Tea Party. But it was too late now. There was no way back. Except there was but she really didn't feel like nearly strangling herself to get out of that dress. 'T-Thank you! My mom threw some things together and... Well yeah. Isn't it abit too much, though? I feel abit... Out in the open.' Glancing down at the blue slightly-see-through sleeves, her hands carefully patting the raven wings on her head. Hopefully they wouldn't be much of a problem later on.

'Funny that we run into each other here though. So much has happened lately...And I'm also, kind of, waiting for someone to show up but.. I suppose he's taking his time. You expecting anyone or... just by yourself?' As Nico was rather socially awkward when it came to big events like these, she'd rather stick close to people she did know. And Serena... Serena was like a beacon of warmth. A ray of sunshine that just melted the dhampirs broken scared heart.