BlossomFest Blossom Ball 2018

Winifrey Golding wrote: 9 Jun 2018, 04:39

The girl swept her arm across her eyes, wiping away the tears. Charles was gone now and the fire was put out. Aurelia had believed it was over when the screams erupted. The soft relaxing music was drowned out by the sounds of distress from students who had been too close to the fire, their wounds looked much worse than the one she had on her arm.

“What have I done?” Aurelia’s voice cracked as she asked herself under her breath. She had invited Charles to meet another muggle born so he might change his mind about them. Instead, he lit the tables on fire and injured many. Screams after screams could be heard, Aurelia wished she could help all of them.

A red head student whom Aurelia reconised immediately as the Gryffindor prefect, began giving instructions for all of the injured to head to the hospital wing. Her voice could be barely heard among the sea of students.

”Maybe we should go get that checked. They probably have some magic cream to heal it. At least to take the pain away,"

Winifrey said. Aurelia nodded in response. The pain on her arm was still bearable however, Aurelia just wanted to leave the ballroom. The sounds of distress were not the very least comforting. There was no point in staying, not when the room was full of chaos.

The girl might return when she got her wound tended to and when the room was settled down or she might head back to the Gryffindor dormitory to rest and try to forget about the incident. Although it wasn’t her doing, it was still partially her fault that students now had burns on their skins and soak outfits. Winifrey has led her to the entrance of the ballroom. Aurelia was glad to have a Friend like her.

Talk to Ami Procoppio, but reacting to all that incendio stuff

She giggled! That was a good sign, then he still had a chance! A chance to teach her to love… to love the game that was Quidditch! They would have to meet up later of course, it wasn’t much that could be done at a ball and in this stuffy clothing. He would have to plan what to teach her first, well, he didn’t really know where to start… and he didn’t really know how to teach, but try he would do!

"Woah, buddy. Personal bubble, 'kay?"

Parcel noticed that Ami was pulling back from him, and he also noticed how he was trying to pull her closer to him in his excitement. He became red around the ears as he was contemplating how to best defuse the situation, the situation being that he didn’t want to be know as a guy that… liked girls… and was like, pulling them to him in an attempt to embrace them or something, but how best to say it? “Oh, its ok, I don’t like girls you see” No, that wasn’t right, while he didn’t want to die from cooties, Parcel still knew that he eventually would like girls, if not then why was there so many daddy’s and mommy’s out there? “Oh, its ok, because I don’t like you” Umm, that sounded quite mean… plus, he didn’t know if he didn’t like Ami, he had just started talking with her, and all he really knew was that she didn’t like Quidditch all that much (although that was soon to change). While thinking over what to say he kept opening and closing his mouth as if to speak several times.

“HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY FAMILY AND HONOR.”

Parcel heard the shouting from some tables behind Ami. Looking over her shoulder he noticed the Boy that seemed to be making the ruckus. While Parcel found it rather rude for the boy to be shouting and ruining the Ball for the rest of the people attending, he also saw it as a way to not have to respond to trying to pull Ami closer to him, so all in all this was a save for him!
While feeling a bit relived Parcel also started frowning at how the boy was speaking, “Great family this and wonderful family that” wasn’t that kind of weak? To only brag about what others have done, you shouldn’t brag unless you did it yourself and at least not live on what a bunch of old geezers have done before you.

Before he could say anything to Ami about the ridiculousness of the situation Parcel saw the rude boy pull out a wand. Tightening the grip on Ami’s hand he pulled her all the way close to him. Cooties or what-not be dammed, that annoying boy was about to do something really reckless, and potentially hazardous!

Misjudging how strong he was, or perhaps how light Ami was, or maybe both, Parcel ended up fumbling as he pulled her closer and fell down on his back, with Ami down over him. As he fell he could see one of the randomly fired incendio spell fly past them and hit one of the nearby tables. As he was lying on the floor with Ami over him he could also see the water spell that put out the fire. At least he wasn’t hurt, or wet… The shock quickly passed, and Parcel finally noticed an even scarier thing, he had pulled Ami down on the floor on top of him! If he hadn’t gotten cooties from touching her hand he had at least gotten it now! Her he tried to be all herolike and pull her with him out of danger and all it made him do was sign his own death warrant! Parcel’s ears became even redder than before as he looked at the girl on top of him. He hadn’t even managed to get out of the embarrassment of looking like he was trying to pull her closer to him, how was he supposed to get out of the embarrassment of pulling her on top of him!? Stammering a bit as he looked up at her, all he managed to say was.
“Umm, yeah… Personal space…”

Just as she had been talking to the boy that has sat down next to her, a commotion broke loose. It didn't seem like much at first. When she looked over she say the York boy, a Slytherin she had not come into contact with, but had heard some strange things about, seemingly yelling at another girl. She vaguely recognized the poor sap, and realized she met her briefly at the Bonfire, but did not catch her name or House. Syrah looked away from the boy she had previously engaged, and towards the yelling, trying to listen it. She was a bit far, a good few tables, but Charles was yelling quite loud. Syrah could already see a few Professors looking his way. Not very smart, she thought to herself, he was going to get himself in trouble, maybe kicked out of the ball.

As she listened she frowned. The boy kept bringing up words like 'Muggle' and 'forsaken' and even 'blood traitor' at one point. Syrah almost sighed. Slytherin was a dignified house, that, yes, had a bad past reputation of being racist towards muggle borns and half-bloods, or basically anyone not of the sacred twenty three. It was an unfortunate past, one that she knew everyone was aware of. But she thought the House was doing a great, nay, fantastic job at rectifying their reputation. Someone spouting on like this boy was, was not going to help that cause. She shook her head. She debated whether she should step in to set this kid straight, but no, she would wait a moment, see how the girl responded... Or the teachers, honestly. 

Before she knew it, though, the situation became so much worse. Fire erupted onto the tables near the arguing duo. What the... Syrah thought, jumping out of her chair. She was standing now, but still next to her chair, unsure of what to do or where to go. She continued watching the scene. She saw now that York had used the fire spell, Incendio, to light up the table, and, oh no, he was doing it again. She back up a few steps. Thankful she was not at one of the tables the crazy fanatic was targeting. 

Just as she began to wonder where the heck the Professors were and why they weren't doing anything, the Transfiguration Professor stepped up and in a rage pointed his wand at the boy. He quickly disarmed the student and his wand went flying. Then Sergei began watering down the tables. Syrah hoped no one was hurt. Charles was then ordered to head to the Headmasters Office. Wait. Why wouldn't he be escorted there? They were just going to let the psycho roam the halls by himself? Surely they would escort him. 

But no, it seemed he would go by himself. Syrah suddenly had flashbacks to the Slytherin Common Room after Isabella caught it on fire with the same spell. The first years would have to get it together or else the Professors would stop teaching them spells like that until second year or later. Because, clearly, they couldn't handle ti at first year. These kids were going to ruin it for everyone. 

Syrah sighed. Thankful that was over. She brightened up a bit, though, in a moment, when she realized this was a really good excuse to leave early. Her mother would have no argument with that. Syrah nearly smiled. She looked back at the door to the hall, Charles had exited a bit before, but just to be sure, Syrah waited a few more minutes, sitting back down in her chair while everyone else was frantic about the damage. But once she figured the coast was probably clear and that she wouldn't run into the weird fanatic, she got up and calmly exited , heading straight to her dorm room to just go to sleep. She didn't realize how stressful all that was until she got out of the ballroom into the silent hall and it all came rushing. She needed sleep.

Still talking to Paracelsus Adger Myth; Really, at this point, they should just get married.

As Parcel seemed at a total loss for words at her request for a little room, another loud, booming voice echoed through the hall. Before Ami could even turn her head to search for the source of the disturbance, she felt Parcel's grip on her tighten, and with only a half-second to let out a small yelp of surprise, he'd pulled her all the way close to him.

To her immense surprise and disgust, her senses went on overload. First of all, he smelled like a boy. Like, not the sweaty type of boy, no, but like... manly. Could someone smell manly? Was that even a thing? Well, if it was, Parcel definitely smelled manly. Like... like hard work and maturity. Yes, that was what men smelled like. Also, now that she was all... uh, up close and personal, so to speak, she could see that his clothes were several sizes too large for him. Also, he was taller than her, which surprised Ami, considering she was pretty tall already.

What was weird, however, was the feeling of realizing just how light she truly was as she flew through the air. Also, Parcel was really strong- presumably from all of that beating about on the Quidditch pitch, but still. The combination of the two aspects sent the two students flying through the air, and to Ami's complete and utter horror, she was lying on top of Parcel. Like, the bodies touching, noses inches away, hearts beating together type of on top. Too shocked to move or speak, all she could do was gulp, embarrassed, as Parcel said in a strained voice, "Umm, yeah... Personal space..." Right, personal space. What was that, again?

Rolling off of Parcel (poor child) and lying on the ground next to him, Ami tried to catch her breath, still hyperventilating from her brief flight through the air. "What... the hell... just happened?" There was certainly fire- she'd felt the heat, and the fire had certainly been put out- she'd heard the water. But what had happened? Closing her eyes and regaining control of her breath, Ami turned her head to look at Parcel, raising an eyebrow. "Thanks, but you didn't have to do that," she said with a smile, noting the poor boy's red ears and disheveled state. "I'm not some damsel in distress that you need to save."

Sebastian smiled, glancing down to his suit, as he was complimented. He supposed the clothes looked nice, but they were expensive, so they were meant to. That said, it was pleasant to hear someone say as much who wasn't trying to curry favor with his father or mother; but it was also the polite thing to say, so he didn't let it go to his head.

Before the boy could even begin to speak to Professor Barrows, she excused herself and promptly moved away to seek out other students. Sebastian blinked, the cold butterbeer in his hand outstretched, before he pulled it back to him and took a sip. Apparently he wouldn't be meeting a new faculty member tonight.

"Well," Sebastian said, glancing to Dymphna. "That was... captivating conversation."

Sebastian mentally shrugged, before he decided to move on with the night. Dymphna had clearly put some effort into getting ready for the ball, and it would be a waste of her time not to continue with the festivities; perhaps Sebastian would ask her to dance, considering he had no problem with being forward with others, and it seemed most students were milling about nervously. A benefit of being a pure-blood, he supposed, one that was prone to these kinds of events...

However, things took an unexpected turn, when a burst of flame erupted nearby. Not observing the scene prior, Sebastian didn't know what had happened, and was surprised when he looked over. Several students were around the area, and the boy tried making sense of it all - but being a distance away, all Sebastian could do was watch, though he was prepared to make for any exits should it get out of hand.

"I... what is even going on here?" Sebastian muttered, eyebrows furrowed as he looked to Dymphna. "This school needs better entry rules, or something. Someone needs to bring some order to this place, to stop this kind of thing happening."

With a shake of his head, Sebastian watched as Professors reacted and took control of the situation, despite not having precautions in place apparently. Surely there could have been some methods used to protect against such wand use, which would have been a prudent choice of safety.

"It seems some students aren't comfortable with the ball," Sebastian noted, as he noticed some leaving, likely feeling the night ruined. It would be hard to come back from a fire and injured students to enjoy the evening. "Do you want to leave, Dymphna? I don't feel comfortable here, but will stay if you want to..."

At the burst of flame, Dymphna turned in time to see the Professors jump into action to stop the Slytherin boy and help those who had been hurt. They were too far away for her to hear what had happened but that didn't matter anyway -- the school newspapers were sure to report on it. Not to mention the accident(?) would be the talk of the school for the next few weeks. 

The injured were being taken care of, escorted by their fellow students towards the hospital wing. She scanned the crowds. It didn't look like any of her friends had been too close to the fire. If they had, she wasn't able to spot them. Those poor Hufflepuffs, after all the rumors of a fire at the camp out and now this.

The Ravenclaw wasn’t sure either. She shook her head, frustrated that everyone’s hard work had gone to waste. The House Elves must be heartbroken. “Perhaps a mental screening too,” she suggested, living up to one of her namesakes. 

It was flattering that Sebastian would put aside his own comfort for her but he was right for feeling that way, the night wouldn’t feel right after what had happened. Their fellow students who had gone all out for the event weren’t able to be there any longer. Other students had left too. There didn’t seem to be much point in staying. 

“Thanks but we should go.” There weren’t many places they could go to together at this time of night. Common rooms were off limits and some rooms would likely be closed for the ball. “How about we meet back in the Great Hall with our school books?” The Great Hall was almost never closed, especially around dinner time. Though she suspected that it wouldn’t be too crowded right then. The Hospital Wing would likely be overflowing with the injured and their concerned friends. “I’ll bring along my chess set too.”

With a small smile, Dymphna made her way towards the doorway, happy to have an idea for what to do next. She imagined that the Ravenclaw common room would be buzzing with activity, with gossip and debate. Too much chatter. She only hoped that the Great Hall would be quieter. They would have to wait and see.

[DYMPHNA LEAVES]

Asteria watched as Wini and her roommate walked toward the entrance, 'Well..this has been an ...eventful evening.' Asteria thought to herself. There will be some unhappy parents for sure, if any students decided to tell. Students began to talk among  themselves, the low rumbles of whispers filling the room. She didn't know what exactly happened either, what she did know was the boy seems mental, immature and rude to say the least. Some students began to leave and others looked unsure of what to do, should they stay and wait for instructions? or should they just go back to their dorms?

Asteria herself thought it would best to leave, there's no longer any reason to stay here, the professors may need to investigate what happened. Perhaps any other balls they may have in the future may go better than this? Asteria had hoped the ball would be more exciting, but never did she want anything this to happen! She wondered if there would be another ball thrown to make up for what happened here tonight. She wondered if she should tell her parents what happened, or let it slide, she didn't get hurt so they'd be relieved. But she knew her parents well enough that they'd tell her grandmother, and grandmother would probably do something crazy like send a howler to the staff or something.

With a grimace at the thought, Asteria decided they didn't need to know, no harm in them not knowing after all. Wiping off her gown, Asteria began to walk away form where she stood, and followed the other existing students. There's been enough excitement for tonight, maybe some homework would help easy the worry. Lifting up the front of her dress, Asteria began to walk up the stairs, toward Gryffindor dorm. She needed a change of clothes, and perhaps, some Hot Cocoa to soothe her from all the madness.

James felt like blushing slightly after Marissa called him 'handsome', but thankfully, he didn't. Marissa was being her nervous, shy self, but James couldn't help but think it was cute.
"Thank you." he said, nodding with a smile in reply.
At this point, James was about to ask Marissa if she felt like dancing, or he might have cracked a joke to warm up the slightly awkward air between them However, this night might have had different plans in store.
"Incendio!" James heard the word behind him and he whisked around. A boy was lighting the tables on fire with such vigor and determination, it was very frightening. Last time he had heard that spell uttered, it had been by one of his fellow Hufflepuffs, Orion. At the Hufflepuff campout, which had ended so disastrously, a forest fire had broken out as a result from a failed fire charm. James had heard of another evening inside the castle that was supposed to be a sleepover, but he had decided not to go this time... he felt like reading a book in the common room was a much safer activity with less chances of dying.
James watched as people around him reacted to the angry boy setting fire to the tables, but one person stood out to him. Marissa was shaking intensely, staring wide-eyed around. Was she okay? James thought, of course not!
James turned his body around again, and reached out his hands to grab hers.
"Marissa!?" he asked, trying to stay and sound calm and gentle. Was this going to end up as crazy as the campout? James dreaded the thought.

There was not much more for her to do here. The dance was ruined, her dress was a disaster and she was not sure if she should be asking York for 10 dollars or a kiss good night. The Professor did not appear to have the time for her and the other students were far too distressed to bother interacting with them.

With Charles gone, a portion of the ballroom up in smoke or soaked and a handful of traumatized non-Huffles it would appear that this ball was now over. She was not terribly disappointed, she burned Charles more than he burned her by embarrassing him in this hall. He would be a non-threat these next few months even if there was a great risk that he might retaliate.

Erin could stay in her burnt and soaked gown but there was nothing for her now. The people had already started to leave. The Professor had moved on. It was a shame really, she had nothing left to do but to go to home. So she did. A trail of water and ash behind her, she would simply walk away. As she did she would feel the ache of the fire, something she had not noticed during or immediately after, temporarily intoxicated with that moment of emotion. She took a deep breath, it was worth it. This pain was better than nothing at all, her fingers gathered a bit of her skirt in her hands as she made her way through the door. It would not last long, it never did. 

It was fleeting like everything else...

“What have I done?”

A lump formed in her throat and her brows pulled together as Aurelia's voice cracked while muttering those words. Winifrey gently rubbed her friend's shoulder as they made their way out of the ballroom. She was doing her best to block out the burnt smell and the cries of pain from some of the wounded. Obviously Aurelia was not feeling too well and so she walked a little faster, guiding the fellow Gryffindor.

"It's alright Aurelia," Winifrey mumbled out, taking a glance back at the room. "It was not your fault. You could not have known that Charles would have done that. No one could have seen it coming. We were lucky Professor Yornikovych was there to stop him. It could have been a lot worse." The words that tumbled smoothly out of Winifrey's lips were quiet, almost soothing in a way as she guided Aurelia to the infirmary. It was a voice that had been used many times with her when she was a child. But it was also a voice that she eventually had to acquire herself.

Winifrey hoped no one was too badly injured. The infirmary should not take too long since Aurelia was not terribly injured. But the small brunette new that a wound should be best taken care of immediately. Without care, they would only get worse.

Winifrey exits ballroom for now