BlossomFest The Learning of an Art

Anatole's excitement hadn't ceased yet. His heart still fluttered as Ackerley moved through the crowds, beginning his formal instruction. This would be his class, the only one that Anatole did not expect to fail in.

Dancing. It was all simple coordination that he had attempted to train himself and Rosie. His ambitions were high, thinking that Rosie and he would make one of the best "couples" (once again, not romantic) on the floor with their long strides and sharp turns. They had been practicing lately in their free time, and the more Anatole did it, the more he grew to like the art form.

And Rosie as a person, but that was another story.

Brushing his hair out of his eyes, Anatole saw a single lock of a brown curl. He knew he had heard her voice over the cacophonous crowd! It was her, his hopeful dance partner! Excited, well, maybe a little too excited, Anatole ran over to her, tapping her on the back and springing part of her hair. "Rosie! Rosie!" His eyes gaped open, sparkling like the chandelier with delight.
Prince-like, he cleared his throat, bowing to the girl and outstretching his arm. Anatole cleared his throat, commenting, "Miss Rosie Parker, would you be so delighted to be my dance partner?"

His twinkling brown eyes looked back up at her, expecting a simple yes.

[Assuming it is a yes...]
When Matilda began, he placed his hands in their respective positions, taking a sigh and making sure they were spread out from other couples. Anatole had no idea that there could be someone else here...better than him...better than them!

Nevertheless, he remained calm, looking deep into the girl's eyes and getting situated to move.

Dance lessons were something Amelia had received as a child, just like her mother had. She attended many pureblood events and balls where she was forced to preform the dances she learned quickly with people she didn’t know. Although, there were genuinely enjoyable times when her father was away that her mother would let loose and let her daughter do the same, turning music up loudly in the entrance way of their house. The little girl would sway to music with her mother per her instruction, guiding her step by step. Those were some of the most carefree moments of the Lovell girl’s childhood, and she cherished the memories she had with her mother. Having retained some of those dance moves since those times were precious to her, the first year developed some skill.

With word of there being a ball held at Hogwarts, it made the brunette nervous and excited at the same time. Social gatherings had never been Amelia’s forte, certainly those where you may be expected to dance with a boy. The thought of it brought a feeling of anxiety to the eleven year old, which is why she was headed down to the fourth floor for some practice. The ballroom was holding a dance class for students who wished to attend, and that was exactly what she thought she needed. She just hoped some friends would be present.

Arriving at the big wooden doors that marked the entrance to the school ballroom, the corridors still a tad chilly, the Ravenclaw entered tentatively. She first noticed that there were quite a number of students there, and that left her feeling relieved yet still nervous. Relieved, because she couldn’t be the only one wanting some practice, and nervous because there were a lot of unfamiliar faces. Trying her best to meld in with the crowd, the pureblood entered at an even pace, listening to her footsteps make way on the hardwood floor.

Amelia’s dark brown eyes fell upon her childhood friend, Phedra, and she started to head her way. There weren’t many other people she knew here well enough to start a conversation with, let alone practice dancing with. Approaching Phedra, she noticed how cutely her friend was dressed. Giving her a warm smile, she spoke, “Phedra! How are you? I love the dress.” She felt slightly underdressed in comparison to her friend. She had decided to wear a simple pair of black leggings, a thin white sweater and a solid black pair of flats. Her hair was like her friends, though her own bun was a messy bunch of curls. The eleven year old didn’t put too much thought into her outfits, and that made her think about what she could possibly wear to the ball.

Before any further conversation could take place, Ackerley Blackburn, their Deputy Headmaster, stood at the front of the crowd and spoke for everyone to hear and pay attention to. Learning from him and Matilda and been what the Lovell girl was really looking forward to, and a big reason she was confident enough to make her way down here. They spoke about the passionate seriousness of dancing, and then of how they needed to get partnered up. Her anxiety was at an all time high and she looked once at Phedra and then around the room at all the prospective partners.

Partner up? That was okay, they were all just here for the food anyway. How were you supposed to determine who your partner was? Who were the better partners? Did it go by who looked nicest? Best clothing? Most confident? The boy didn't know, and found it a bit upsetting that the deputy headmaster hadn't said how to choose your partner. After some consideration, he figured if it wasn't mentioned, then it didn't matter who he picked. And if that was true he may as well go with someone who seemed to be confident. He could probably learn the most from someone like that. And there were very few confident people there. It narrowed down the search a lot. And from there he just found the first girl that caught his eye. Rhemu had bright red hair, and a bright red dress. It was pretty hard to miss. Walking up to her, Still moving a little awkwardly on the stone floor, he reached a hand into his robe. It was customary to start the dance with a gift, wasn't it? As a sign of friendship, or at least the start of one. Feeling along his side, the ravenclaw boy found what he was looking for. A long, hardened leather case. Opening it, and reaching inside he produced a flower that he thought would match what he assumed was her favorite color. The flower had been dried, but it's vibrant color remained. a brittle yet strong, slightly bent green stalk with no leaves held a bright red flower. It looked similar to a round thistle, but the spikes were all round, even though it had dried, the red was extremely bright, like a ruby, intricately carved by mother nature herself. He had seen the flower in the fens one day, and had dried it, finding the thing interesting. As he offered the flower, he listened to what the female professor was saying. Well, he couldn't very well place his hands correctly until after she accepted or declined the flower.

Eris was late, of course. There wasn't a legitimate reason why. She was just late. It wasn't like she was wearing an extremely nice outfit like some of the other kids. Just a pair of jeans that looked about 10 years old, roughly, a black ichy jacket, and a flower crown. Where she had gotten the flower crown, it was unknown, as she hadn't participated in the events of flower crown making. She had been sleeping to tell the truth. Not that Eris would ever admit to being too lazy to get out of bed. She had heard about the event though, from her dorm mates. Apparently all the professors were flirting. Even their head of house, Professor Cazarez was a gross man. That was the general assumption Eris had came up with after hearing the story of his flower crown flirtation attempts.

Eris arrived into the ball room, students were still asking around for partners. Nobody was, yet, doing the resting position thingy Professor Barrows had attempted to teach. Scowling at the divination teacher, who had so just so happened to have gotten Eris fired from being a prefect , the little red-head stepped fully into the large ballroom and stared at all the other children.

Anatole Evans was there, already with Rosie Parker. That wasn't surprising. Those two were going to get cooties, without a doubt. Kaegen was there. With a flower? With Rhea? Oh no. That was an odd, cootie gathering, thing. Turning away from the site of her dorm mate and (sort of) friend, Eris spotted other faces in the crowd of students. Amelia, Celery, and.. Adam. Oh lord have mercy on her soul.

Of course Adam was here. Why did she keep running into him? Heart pounding her chest, just at the site of her ex-friend, Eris waited for a partner. Hopefully not Adam. That would kill her, inside. And hopefully not one of the professors. She hated them both, with a burning passion. Although the passion wasn't strong enough to keep her from trying to learn how to dance in a way that wouldn't make her look like a monkey.

Watching the doors, Phedra spotted her long time friend, Amelia Lovell, walk through. She gave a long sigh of relief, fully turning around to hold out her arms for a quick hug when Amelia came closer. "Amelia! I'm so glad you're here." The class would be a lot less stressful with familiar company.

Phedra smiled, pulling away from her fellow Ravenclaw. "Thanks! Mum let me pick it out," she stated. "I can't wait to show you the one I have for the real dance. Oh! We should do each other's hair and makeup when the time comes." Any further conversation was cut short by the Deputy Headmaster, Ackerley Blackburn, giving an introduction to the lesson, and Phedra turned to listen. He spoke of dance and the passion and beauty it brought to people, and Phedra found herself nodding along, her views of dance similar to his.

Then, the Headmaster stepped back to allow Professor Barrows to give additional instructions. She asked all students to split into pairs, boy and girl, and explained starting positions. Phedra gave her friend an uneasy look. After Professor Barrows finished, Phedra turned to speak to Amelia once more.

"Well... Here goes nothing," she said in a low voice, crossing her arms. "Do you see anyone you like? Or anyone you know?" Phedra's dark eyes scanned over the crowd of boys, most of them collected away near the back walls. Honestly, none of these boys she really knew all too well. She wanted to ask why she couldn't just dance with her friend - one of them could pretend to be the boy. Still scanning, her eyes briefly paused over a Slytherin boy leaning against a wall, sporting a black tux with green accents. Phedra knew this boy to be pureblood, popular, and on Slytherin's Quidditch team. Registering how long she must've been considering asking him to dance, she quickly turned away, putting the idea behind her. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She was not going to be laughed at today.

Heart starting to beat quicker, Phedra stood, twiddling her thumbs as people around her began to gather in pairs. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Marcus noticed people pairing up and decided to wait a bit before seeing if someone wanted to dance with him 'Man..I have no idea who about half of these people are..I really need to socialize more..' he sighed and shook his head, finally noticing someone looking at him, giving her a small smile and a nod in greeting he begins to walk over to Phedra, upon arriving he bows slightly extending his hand toward her "My name is Marcus De Wynter, may I ask you for this dance?" he asks softly rising up from the bow with a small smile, his hand still extended for hers as he waits.

'Hopefully she accepts, really don't want to be the blunt of Hogwarts Rumors in my first year.' he thought with a frown mentally but his smile is still on physically "Seems I've been left out of the loop of socializing here, I honestly have no idea who a lot of the people are here" he tried to joke even though it was true and probably extremely lame "Oh well guess I attempt to social with everyone" he added with a soft chuckle, sliding his hand through his silky black hair, hoping he did the right move.

Marcus' sudden presence behind her made a jump a little, and she spun around to face him, blinking in surprise at how much taller he was up close. Phedra herself was taller than average for a girl her age, but her forehead barely reaching another student's nose was unprecedented. If she hadn't known anything about this boy she would have thought he were one-quarter giant, or something. But she knew of the De Wynters - there was nothing but pureblood wizards in their line.

Rosie's grin widened when she noticed Anatole had found her, she turned to him and nodded. "Of course I'd like to be your dance partner! Who else would I dance with?" She giggled, starting to get into the position the instructors ask them to be in. She didn't think Anatole needed to ask, Rosie would be his partner without hesitation, Rosie trusted him like that. While she rested a hand on Anatole's shoulder, she scanned around for people she knew.

Oh! There was Eris! She was super cool. Ohh, Kaegen was here. Fun. They had a rough start but Rosie didn't hold grudges, she was just cautious. There was the girl who asked if anyone knew how to dance, somehow Rosie felt the urge to be better. She didn't think this was about a competition though, that could be for another day. Rosie turned back to Anatole as he awkwardly got into his own position. Rosie was glad he was here, she didn't know who else she'd be comfortably dancing with, other than maybe Clary, who she hadn't seen in a while. Did they even allow girls to dance together? Rosie's mom used to say people who did that were weird, but Rosie herself felt the fact her mom felt that way was silly.

Marcus chuckles softly listening to Phedra "We could social together with people i guess" he smiled in a joking way as he followed her toward somewhere better, placing his hand on her hip then his other hand with hers "I was taught at a young age, social balls for Purebloods and such, can't embarrass the family after all" he said then chuckled with a roll of the eyes "And thank you for the compliment on my shoes, dragon hide by the way, your outfit looks gorgeous as well"" he thanked and informed her of what the boots are made of as well as complimented her like a pureblood should, beginning the motions of dancing with her he keeps his eyes on her with a smile on his face, after a few seconds he would twirl her rather expertly then get back into position with a small chuckle "Should we turn up the dancing level?" He asked with a teasing tone as they continued to waltz back and forth with the occasional twirl added in every once in awhile "We could maybe make some people jealous with our moves" he grinned mischievously then chuckled good naturedly as he is having a fun time

Serena looked around the room, waiting for the lesson to start. She had no idea what to expect. Perhaps her parents were right - going to classes before now was probably a good idea... In any case, she was here now so they could not complain much, right? Oh, who am I kidding? They would complain no matter what she did. They majored in complaining about meaningless things, after all. More students had arrived, including a few faces she recognised. She smiled and waved whenever she caught the eye of someone she knew. A few other students had dressed up too, which was a relief. She would have hated to be out of place or have dressed over the top. Whilst the Towers loved the attention and lived to dress over the top to events, Serena preferred to stay out of the limelight.

Spotting a boy she recognised well, she quirked an eyebrow. The male Gryffindor Prefect was glued to the walls. It was as though he was about to pass out at any point. Or at least, that was how she took it. Serena rolled her eyes playfully, laughing softly at him. In her eyes, it looked very much like he was just tired and was about to pass out. In all honesty, she was quite surprised to see him here. She did not expect to ever see him turn up to a dance... That was weird. However, judging from his looks, it did not seem like he wanted to be there either. She laughed softly, assuming Siege would much rather be asleep or avoiding Prefect duties than turning up to this event. Most likely, he was forced to be here.

"Hey, you okay there? What are you doing here?" She asked as she approached Siege, ushering Reyna to come with her, "You haven't done anything stupid again, have you?" She continued with a quirked eyebrow, implying that he had gotten into more fights or something ridiculous like that. Serena recalled that the boy had fallen asleep in the weirdest places - including during the snowball fight they had. He looked like he was probably planning to sleep here.

Her attention snapped back as she heard the familiar voice of their Deputy Headmaster. Ackerley Blackburn entered with a professor that Serena recognised but did not have for any of her classes. Professor Barrows, she believed, taught an elective for one of the later years. The two of them immediately introduced the class and started to explain what to do. They started demonstrating the moves. Ladies were to put one hand on their partner's shoulder and the other in their hand. The guy was to take their hand and put the other on their waist, according to Matilda. She watched the pair of Professors demonstrate the position.

There was a small sense of dread that filled Serena as she heard the words 'partner up'. That was always awkward. She hated having to find a partner... It was awkward and someone always ended up alone. Looking at Reyna, she suddenly remembered Siege was there too. Serena looked between the two, before realising there was three of them and only two in a pair. Well this was going to be awkward... 

"Hey Siege, would you like to dance?" She asked him outright with a smile on her face before pausing for a moment to allow him to answer. After a moment, she continued, "Reyna here loves dancing, why don't the two of you partner up? It will be fun!" Serena encouraged them before taking their closest hands in hers and joining them together - or at least attempting to do that. The Hufflepuff Prefect ushered them onto the dance floor after attempting to get them to partner up. Before they could protest, she smiled at them, "I should probably avoid dancing too much anyway so you two go and I'll take a seat," She explained, hoping the pair would go and have fun together. It was true, she had only recently been in the hospital following the events of the Hufflepuff camp out. Whilst she felt well enough to dance right now, she did not want them to feel bad for leaving her without a partner - nor did she want neither one of them to be without a partner. 

This way, the two of them could partner up and not feel bad for her. It was a win-win situation for them. Or so she thought anyway. Serena was completely oblivious to the thoughts in Siege's head, after all - or the way Reyna felt about him. Whoops! Hopefully someone else would be free to dance with her, later. Serena sat down on the side, looking around to see if there was someone else without a partner that she could approach.