BlossomFest Blossom Ball 2018

Parcel’s ears became red and hot as he started to flush. “What?! The girl doesn’t remember the game? Have I been mistaken and just walked up to a random girl?!” Seeing the confused look on Eggbeater’s face made him fear the worst! He might have mistaken her for someone she was not and now he look like a fool!

“You're that Whoever You Are boy! The one Aurelia tried to hit with a bludger!”

“YES! Yes, I am! Oh, by Merlin I was right! Of course, I was right! When have I ever been wrong! Never! Never I say! Aahhh” Parcel might have held the same smile on the outside, but inside he was doing somersaults. He couldn’t have survived the embarrassment of having walked up to a stranger as if he knew them! Not that he knew Eggbeater either… But he kind of knew her, they had tried to maim each other with bludgers after all, that had to count for something!

“Oh! Where are my manners? It's nice to meet you too, Whoever You Are- I mean, Parcel.”

Parcel made an affirming nod to the girl while the flush in his face finally started to go away. He was about say something when—“Wait, did she just wink at me?” What was this supposed to mean? Was this what some of the older students had called flirting? Was she flirting with him right now!? That didn’t look like a normal wink?! “Nonono, this is no good! I have to get away!” He was already starting to scope out the nearest exit. There was one thing he was adamant on not catching when he came here, and that was cooties! And to dance was one thing, but to flirt! Nonono, Parcel didn’t know much about girls and stuff, but he was pretty sure that flirting was worse than dancing! It had to be! But at the same time, he couldn’t just leave, that would seem weird! Then he would do the opposite of what his mother had said, and instead of meeting new people and gaining acquaintances, he would just seem like a weirdo that ran away from a ball! And also, he was in Gryffindor, so he had to be brave, even in the face of certain cooties!

Swallowing down his nervousness he was about to reply when another girl came and stood by the side of Eggbeater. “OH NO! Do they smell fear or something! Are they attracted to the fear of cooties, like… like a shark is attracted to blood in water!?” Parcel could see the impending doom before him, had he met them under normal circumstances then he wouldn’t have thought anything about it, but this was a ball! And girls where supposed to be with their dates and go and dance and stuff! Ugh, Parcel’s head hurt from all the thinking, by Merlin’s suspender pants, how was he going to survive this night.

“You were one of team two's beaters? I'm Eri Windstone.”

Parcel almost couldn’t hide his surprise. “She… She didn’t come here to kill me with cooties?...” It took a second before he came back to reality, he took the time when Ami was explaining that that she had cooties—no, that she had hiccups, to calm himself down again. Looks like he have avoided certain death for now, so maybe he can survive the whole night if he just keeps talking about Quidditch or something. Plus, there is two of them now, and he is pretty sure you can’t like, dance or something if you are three people, so for now everything seems pretty safe.

“Your beating was magnificent, I'll have to get some tips from you someday.”

“I was glad that you didn't fire any bludgers at me. You seemed to have very good aim.”

Becoming a little embarrassed from all the praise he seemed to be getting he wanted to clarify that it mostly was beginner luck. And also, was the other girl in the match? Parcel was only able to recall faces of the people he had hurled bludgers at, and with everyone here wearing dresses and suits it was impossible to recognize them on appearance.

“Well, you know Eggbeat—Ami, I am a master beater!”
He smiled a bit awkwardly at Ami, not sure if he should try to act playful in the fear that it might come of as flirting back at her.

“Oh! And its nice to meet you to Eri, I wouldn’t say I’m any good, really, I think it probably was a lot of beginner luck.”
He gingerly scratched the scar on his chin as he tried to explain that he really didn’t think he was all that good, in fact, the master beater line was mainly said as a joke, he really didn’t know how to teach anyone how to be a better beater.
Hoping that they wouldn’t ask for any lessons he didn’t have the skill to teach Parcel wanted to move the conversation over on something else… but what should they be talking about? He had never been to a ball before, so he had no idea what the etiquette was for this thing, the Ball. Should he complement them? Or ask about what they thought of the curriculum this year? Or perhaps if he could get them something to drink? He had seen some of the elder boys fetch drinks for the girls, but was that only for their date or was it a rule that boys should fetch drinks for everyone?
Well, he better just speak rather then watch it turn into an awkward silence.

“Ahem, well, don’t you both look nice tonight! You’re probably going to have it really fun with your dates!”
Secretly Parcel didn’t actually think their dates would have to much fun, not because the girls didn’t look pretty, no, they had nice dresses and skirts and such, but because Parcel didn’t think there existed a boy alive that weren’t terrified of dying of cooties if he was too much in contact with a girl.

And before Rosie could even acknowledge it, kids started filing into the ballroom. All gorgeous, all excited and in awe of the beautiful, and decorated ballroom. Even Rosie herself was impressed, it was so much more prettier when there was a ball happening. There were kids she recognized, some she didn’t. She saw Eri had arrived, and despite Rosie dislikeness for her, she looked pretty, and Rosie couldn’t deny that. A few more kids that were unfamiliar walked in, and Rosie frowned. Was she really that behind on meeting everyone? She needed to keep up, she only recognized a few people. But that came to a halt when Amadea’s gorgeous self came waltzing through the door. Thank god. Rosie felt a smile curve up on her face as she strolled in. And then she realized she was kinda ignoring her friends.

… It was also at that moment she realized two of them had walked into different directions. Bloody hell. Rosie held in a groan and looked around for someone to talk to, her nose wrinkling a little bit. She pursed her lips and turned towards the entrance again, when she saw Adam walking in! He looked nice. Rosie was hoping she’d catch his glance and she could wave, but she felt the color drain from her face. Because when tall Adam moved out of the way to go talk to Amadea, Anatole strolled through the entrance, looking a bit nervous. Of course. Rosie peeled her gaze away from him and quickly shuffled over to the drinks, getting a small cup and taking a quick sip, letting a sigh escape her lips. She looked at the ground. She had multiple options here.

1. Confront Anatole, but nicely, just greet him and see if he responds accordingly.
2. Avoid him, hang out with the friends you went with in the first place, let him come to you.
3. Die.

Okay, the third one was a bit over dramatic, but it was always an option! No. Rosie, stop it. You are going to have FUN at this gosh darn ball that you were super excited for, with or without your dance partner! The last part made her heart sting a little bit, and she sighed. Despite her bad week, she was going to have fun. She deserved this. Rosie huffed and put down her drink, spotting Adam and Amadea a bit away. Should she go talk to them? AHHHH THIS IS OVERWHELMING. Rosie internally screamed, deciding to sit down at the table instead. She needed a second. Just a second. Her friend group had, for the most part, split. Rosie could easily find them again, though there was a small problem.

Some of them had dates.

Which meant Rosie might be intruding, which would suck. She was stuck in a complicated situation. Why was she dealing with this? She was 12, for god’s sakes! Let her breathe, humanity! Dramatically, Rosie sunk back into her seat and took another sip of her drink like a dramatic, tired, mother. Made her think of her own mom

Eri listened to Parcel. It was a surprise he didn't recognize her. "I was the um seeker." She said quietly. She didn't want to draw attention to that she fell off her broom. He was actually a really good beater and he didn't seem to think he was good at it. Well not everybody thinks they are goid at what they are good at. She smiled and saw some other people in the ballroom that she knew. Hearing that he said to enjoy her time with her date she frowned. She didn't come with a date. She just came to walk around. "I didn't come with anyone I just came to be here and enjoy the ball." Seeing that he was a little uncomfortable she decided she would go talk to some other people. "If you don't mind I think I might go talk to someone I just saw come through the door."

Eri started to walk away and spotted Aravis. She grabbed her jacket off her table. Eri started walking to over to Aravis to talk to her. "Hey Aravis do you mind if I sit with you?" Eri asked Aravis and waited for an answer from the girl.

Dorothy had sat in the shadows for long enough. It was time to be the friendly 'puff she knew she herself to be. "I need.. A partner in crime." she muttered to herself. She knew exactly where to look for one. Standing up, she sidled closer to the refreshment table and looked about. There! Just there. It was a Hufflepuff in a floofy froofy golden gown. She had long, curly, blonde hair and a tired expression on her face. She looked easy going enough. The naive ones were always the best for this sort of thing. Dorothy noted a chair nearby the girl. The platinum (and lavender) haired girl quickly got some punch before heading over. D was smart, and knew that this cup of punch would help her avoid awkwardness. All good extroverts know the golden rule of a non-awkward introduction.

Bring something to do

So Dorothy grabbed a fancy cup of bright red punch. Veeery fancy. She walked over to the table the girl was seated in and pulled up a chair, before gracefully plunking down across from her.

_{Addressing Rosie Parker}

"Hi there. You're Rosie right? Sorry I wouldn't know if I wasn't a Hufflepuff too. Not a stalker or anything. " she said, fiddling with the stem of her goblet and smiling invitingly. "Any who, I'm bored but you look bored and sad. So what sorry bloke crushed the party vibes for you? " D finished, comically glancing around as if expecting to see some fellow frowning at them. She was trying to make a joke of it, but one could tell she did care. "Do you want to get 'im? I can help." she said with a mischievous smile. "Or. If you want.. We could get all of them. I'm itching for some real fun!"

“Ahem, well, don’t you both look nice tonight! You’re probably going to have it really fun with your dates!”

Ami shot Parcel a What the Bloody Mary are you talking about? look, the one with the scrunched eyebrows and crinkled nose. Looking nice? Hah, she probably looked like trash, while Parcel looked like he'd raided a wizarding House of Bijan, or something. Shiny, sleek, and smooth, plus he looked great in Quidditch. What had her mom always said? Get you a man who can do both. Well, Mr. Bludger Hog did try to kill her with a bludger, so... no. Nope, no.


 Eri left shortly after to go talk with Aravis (ugh), but Ami still didn't spot Lorelai, so she decided to stay and talk with Parcel.  "My date is hotter than the sun... except we're not dating and we've both got a knack for sneaking out at night," Ami said with a snort, leaning back on the table. "So maybe she's brighter than the moon?" She shrugged, popping an apple slice into her mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. "I don't know how it would work. You figure it out, Brainiac Bludger."

Fanning her face, Ami winced at the growing heat due to the mass of bodies in the room. Peeling off her thick blazer and artfully tying it around her waist (I know, classic style), all of her white scars and purplish bruises were fully visible to the public- or, at least, those who cared enough. But come on, it was the end of May, already; too hot to be inside a confined with a thousand other students.

Shoot me, Verla said to herself. She stood up, walked through the crowd and went to the punch table, hoping no one would confront her. She poured herself a glass of the sweet red liquid into the cup, and took a sip as she turned around and looked at who all was herr so quickly. She saw Wes already. There was Dorothy, little self-centered brat, there was Aravis, hoping she wouldn't want to kill Verla, she stayed away from her. There was Rosie and Howie who seemed to be dancing and she didn't want to interrupt them since they're so cute together. 

She sat down in a chair by a table and crossed her legs. She felt uncomfortable in the dress she was wearing. It wasn't long enough for her taste. She felt like she shouldn't have come. She stood up and began to walk toward the door and left (unless stopped) . She was glad to be out of there. Levi certainly wasn't coming. So she had no other reason to be there. Besides Wes. But someone had already claimed him it seemed. Verla held her arm as it hung down as she walked out. This was hopeless after all.

The girl lifted the hem of her dress up so the end met her ankle and entered the ball room. Even though beautiful, the dress her Mother bought her was longer than she was comfortable with and Aurelia had almost tripped multiple times of the moving staircase that was already a bother on its own. What caught her eyes were the plates of food on the table. The circular tables lined the four corners of the room with pink and purple. There was a huge crystal chandelier that wasn’t up when Aurelia participated in the dance class which the Deputy Headmaster And Professor Matilda hosted.

Aurelia looked around for her roommate. They had spend the entire afternoon adorning their hair with flowers. Aurelia had told her to leave for the ballroom first as she rummaged her wardrobe for a suitable pair of shoes. The decent pair of heels she had seemed to have shrunked when laying untouched in the cupboard, rotting. It was most probably that the girls foot had grown another size during the month in Hogwarts. The girl ended up slipping on a pair of limited edition converse that she would usually wear with a pair of jeans. She didn’t mind as the dress had hidden it out of anyone’s sight and the shoes much more comfortable than those leather heels.

“Finally, I found you.” she called out to Winifrey. Who was at a corner scooping from a bowl of punch. Aurelia took a cup for herself. She wondered how long Winifrey had been waiting. It didn’t seem that she was expecting someone. The young girl probably didn’t have a date.

“I couldn’t find a pair of shoes, so I had to do with my plain old converse. I hope no one sees it. It would be extremely embarrassing.” The brunette giggled as she pulled up the skirt and tapped her foot. Revealing the white converse patterned with blue flowers. At least it kind of matched her dress and wasn’t that bad.

Aurelia wondered if the boy she had sent an owl to would arrive. They had met in the study room when he organised a kind of pureblood meeting to get rid of muggle borns. It ended on a bad note when Aurelia decided she would not let him do so. But kind hearted as always, Aurelia wanted to show him that Muggle-borns were just like those of wizards. Maybe if he met Winifrey, he would change his perception on Muggle-borns who somehow disgusted him.

The young ballerina most likely wouldn’t get the chance to dance. There was only a very slim chance that someone would ask her for one.
The brunette had danced secretly from anyone’s view. She was taught ballet as soon as she learnt how to walk but had never performed in front of anyone but her her many Cousins and Aunts who knew the same art. Aurelia watched as other students twirled around with thier partners. The pair converse shoes might prove to be a bit of a challenge to dance in later if someone were to ask her to.

Howie held on tight to Rosie’s hand as they walked towards the dance floor together. The other students were mulling about as they awaited the next song. His chest swelled as they walked hand in hand. Sure, they all had their fancy new robes, suits and dresses, but Howie was about to dance with Rosie Turner, beat that! 

Holding firm to her hand, as not to lose her, he squeezed them through the dancers to a nice quiet spot near the edge of the floor. He did not release her hand when they stopped and waited for the music to start again. Howie was exactly sure why, but for some reason he didn’t want to let go, her small hand just felt so right in his.

“Don’t be silly Rosie, I’d never not want to know you. Never had a friend like you before. Didn’t exactly fit it back home, ya see. And don’t you worry about all these other people, they’re just going to be jealous of our superior dancing skills.” He replied to her concerns with his usual smile and a wink. “I don’t know much, but just follow my lead and we’ll show all these wiz kids how a couple muggleborns do it!” He said with a chuckle. Howie knew Rosie could get a bit nervous sometimes, not on his watch though!

The music was starting up again, a slow tune. Howie placed Rosie’s hand on his shoulder. “Now stick your arm out like this.” He reached out his arm, indicating that she should do the same. “And hold my hand.” Reaching around her, he placed his hand on the small of her back. “And I’ll hold you here and guide you. Ok. You ready?”

Remember the steps mum showed you. One two three...one two three. Howie began to lead Rosie through the simple dance, moving them in small circles around the floor. As they found their rhythm, the rest of the ball room slipped away. All Howie could see was Rosie’s pretty eyes looking up at him. A smile crossed Howie’s face so big it threatened to tear his face in two.

There are some people who just aren't meant for some things, not cut out for a certain something or certain somethings. This Ball was such for Siege. He wasn't cut out for it, not because he couldn't decide what to wear or how to act, it was because he was just too damn lazy to actually participate, especially communicate with anyone. Just thinking about it already put weights on his feet every time his foot touched the floor as he walked the fourth floor, headed to the Ballroom. He'd already donned the things his step-father sent him for the Ball, the old man not missing an opportunity to give Siege a proper look, after all it wasn't everyday someone could see the delinquent of a boy to be in what he was.

The problem was, he didn't like it when things get stuffy, so...He took liberties in unbuttoning some of the coats buttons, exposing his loose white shirt underneath. He was pretty damn messy looking, at least his attire wasn't as pressed as it should have been and his hair was always unkempt, in its natural form to be honest. 

He wore a black suit, although it seemed more like a jacket rather than a suit upon closer inspection, his dress shirt, also unbuttoned, behind his coat, colored white with crimson dots on it, just the right kind of fun colors on it. The white shirt he had underneath could be read with the word "Sage" in black color, with a brushing motion used as font. It was definitely sent by his stepfather, no doubt about it, annoying Siege and making him feel uncomfortable in formal things, oh how he wished he could wear jeans and a simple jacket there...But nooo, they had to have this BlossomFest thing go out to the guardians and parents as well.

"I hope there won't be a lot coming to this dumb event." Siege would say as he would finally reach the doors of the Ballroom, hearing noise and conversations inside the boy would sigh, his eyes gazing on the lower part of the doors. "On second thought...Ah jeez I'd rather do this than run another mile anyways..." Said Siege clearly remembering his Ed's friendly threat, If Ed wasn't someone Siege respected, he totally would have bailed out now. His hands pressed against the door, entering the Ballroom, a room he'd already been in countless times...After all he needed a place to sleep-I mean it was part of his prefect duties to be there...Ahem...Anyways he was there and he was tired. 

He would expertly and inconspicuously sneak along the walls to a certain table that seems to have attracted no attention. He's done this countless times, sneak around the class to find the most suitable place to lazy around in. His lazy gaze looked around the room for...well he didn't know, but he still looked around regardless. A lot of people in the room, upperclassmen by the looks of it, also joined the party, not a strange occurrence...After all this probably meant a lot more to them rather than the first years.

He leaned back on his chair and put up his legs on another chair. He wore black jeans with black skateboard shoes lined with white and red streaks. He cared nothing for formality, often despising it, the way people would try to force him to act, to act proper? How disgusting! He'd rather lay back, relax, and enjoy other people die of embarrassment and awkwardness, it was entertaining really...Like a gladiatorial match, only some will leave this place with self esteems intact that's for sure.

Some of the dresses and suits stood out, and not in a good way in Siege's eyes. Some were just so stupid looking to him, he couldn't help but entertain himself with the verbal destruction going on and on within his head. If he did say the things he was thinking out loud he'd probably get detention or even worse, expulsion, that is if he let out what he was thinking, which at this point, he was too damn lazy to do.

"Why can't these damn people just dress normally?" Siege would mutter chuckling to himself about the look of some of them. It was just within him to make fun of them, to at least entertain himself during this boring event...Nonetheless he held no ill will against them, after all...He was never one to keep anything. 

All the first years are kinda just standing around, and who could blame them? For most of them, they probably haven't been to something like this before, with Siege included there though. He hasn't been to something like this, because he's had no reason or opportunity to...Nothing fancy like this, maybe the local pubs Ed would go to, though that's about it. There, there was definitely none of these fancy people around. Siege knew that he'd probably be fine there. He just hoped no one was stupid enough to walk up to the messy and delinquent looking boy in the corner. Cause talking to people that he didn't know, much less not interested in?...Was quite the drag, and he'd rather have a nice night eating and sleeping in this corner of the room.

Winifrey was just refilling her third cup of punch when someone spoke to her, causing the small brunette to jump slightly. Some of the bright red liquid splashed over the rim of her cup, Winifrey gasping lightly as she put as much distance as she could between herself and the disaster that she was making. Thankfully, it only landed on her bare arm and could be easily cleaned.

Setting her cup down and quickly wiping her arm, Winifrey turned to greet her friend Aurelia who had finally made it to the ball. The small brunette had sort of made a game with herself to see how many cups of punch she could drink before Aurelia arrived. Thankfully, she had arrived before anything embarrassing happened. Well, besides the almost fatal spill. But no one saw that, right?

"Aurelia! You made it!" Winifrey beamed, admiring her friend's final look. "You look.... great!" She stumbled to find the right word, but quickly hid her blemish with a bright smile. It was hard for her to compliment others, especially girls. She grew up with boys most of her life, and most of them did not care how she looked or how they themselves looked. So this too was new territory for her. Winifrey just hoped that Aurelia would be pleased with her attempts at complimenting her beautiful dress.

The small brunette laughed lightly at Aurelia's situation concerning her shoes, but she could not deny that they went well with the dress. "I think they look fine Aurelia," She chuckled, "I'm sure you'll be more comfortable than most of the girls here," She stated, giving her friend an encouraging nod. Winifrey had been admiring some of the other girls' dresses. A lot of them were quite extravagant, and she could never imagine herself in one of them. How on earth would she be able to run? Her thoughts began lovely towards some of the more expensive looking dresses. But they slowly turned into strange questions like: How on earth did she put that on? and How were they going to fit that in their trunk?

Even her own dress was a little uncomfortable. It was itchy in some places, and the hidden Herbology homework was not helping. She did enjoy the fact that it was nice and flowy, along with the aspect that it was quite flexible and not constricting. Winifrey could actually breath in her dress. And her shoes were also quite comfortable. They were flats, which she actually preferred more than heels.

"So," Winifrey started, her voice lowering a little, "Do you have someone that you are meeting?" She asked, giving her friend a look with her brows raised. It felt weird calling it a 'date,' and she had not even considered getting herself one. Plus, if anyone had even asked her to the ball, she most likely would have stared at them dumbfounded and bluntly said no. Winifrey had absolutely zero experience in whatever field that was called and she did not expect it to get any higher than that.