A Date with the Snack Table

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew felt awkward going to the ball alone as a fifth year, he was sure most of his classmates would have dates, or at least have agreed to go with friends. But he also didn't want to just spend the day in his dorm by himself, that would be sad. Besides, he needed to be here so he could write about the ball to Leah. Or even better: he could tell her himself! The holidays were around the corner and he would finally see her again. He couldn't wait to steal her glasses and make terrible jokes that made her laugh despite trying her hardest not to.

He was standing near one of the tables with food and drinks, like awkward people at dances had been doing since the start of time. The decorations were beautiful and he cursed himself for not bringing his camera. He also had to admire everyone's outfits, some people really went all out. He sipped a drink, looking around as he leaned on the table a little, hoping to spot a familiar, or at least friendly, face.

 

[Amy Rosemary]

Amy sighed, not sure if she really felt up to going to the dance. She wasn't in the mood, really but she had also promised she'd look out for her cousin, considering how troublesome that boy could be. With a groan, the fifth year got up from her bed and put on her purple dress, before putting on some make-up and styling her hair into a bun. She grabbed her purse and headed out of the hufflepuff common room, into the great hall and noticing that there were already many people here. Amy made her way over to the food, where her stomach was grumbling. Everyone was either dancing or chatting, but someone in particular caught her eye. She frowned. No one deserved to be lonely at the Yule Ball.

She didn't know what his name was but she'd seen him around the common room and on one occasion, hanging out with Maddie. He seemed to be looking for someone however the blonde shrugged and smiled as she walked over to him. Maybe he wanted a friend, maybe not. She was curious as to how he knew her best friend though. "Hi," she said, trying not to sound too cheerful (it was hard) or worse, awkward. It would be horrible if he didn't recognise her at all, but it wouldn't matter sooner or later. At the same time, she hoped Matt was having fun, wherever he was. She grabbed some food to satisfy her stomach.​

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[Matthew Harper]

Matthew had the feeling some people were staring at him, the weird lonely guy. He wondered if he should leave. But at least he had a good spot near the food, and it wasn't half bad.

He noticed a blond girl approach him and recognized her vaguely from his year. She was in Hufflepuff as well, he was pretty sure, since he had seen her around the Common Room a few times. "Hello." He told her with a nod. "I think I'm supposed to know your name because you're in my classes, but I'm afraid I'm not very good at remembering all the names. But I think I've seen you with Maddie, right? I know Maddie." He smiled. "And I'm Matthew, fresh transfer from America." He popped a biscuit into his mouth and smiled, hoping he hadn't weirded the girl out. "What's your name? And are you enjoying yourself?" Honestly, the girl didn't seem to be having that much fun so far.

 

[Amy Rosemary]

Amy began to relax once more as he seemed to recognize her, at least he didn't avoid eye contact like many people did when they didn't know other people who approached them that well. She chuckled as he spoke, not wanting to embarrass him for not knowing her name. "Don't worry, it's hard for me to remember names too. It gets easier." It wasn't abnormal if you were new around here not to know most people, no matter whether they were in your class or house or not. She'd be slightly more surprised if he could not remember her face from anywhere, considering they were both in hufflepuff and fifth years.

Amy's eyes lit up when he mentioned Maddie. "Yeah! She's one of my closest friends, she's awesome," she smiled, relieved he'd made friends with the right people. Or for his sake, she hoped he had. "Nice to meet you Matthew, I'm Amy." She shrugged at his question. "I promised I would keep an eye on my cousin who is a first year and seems to attract trouble wherever he goes. That's how I'm here. But I guess now that I'm talking to someone, I am quite enjoying this," she gestured around her in the room, with a small smile still on her features. She loved him a lot, he was family, but he could be exhausting too at times. "Where in America are you from? I think I have cousins or something there!" ​

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[Matthew Harper]

Matthew nodded. "I hope it does get easier. It is a bit odd to be dropped into a class of people that have known each other since they were eleven, but everyone's been wonderful so far. Do you know Reuben? He's my best friend here." He was sure she must know him from being in the same year as him.

He noticed her face light up when he mentioned Maddie and smiled. He knew that feeling of being happy just to be reminded of your best friend. When she said her name was Amy his mind went back to the conversation between James and Maddie he had sort of unwillingly been a part of at the start of the year. Was this the Amy from the broom closet with James? He figured it was rude to ask. He looked around the room. "Is your cousin anywhere near?" He had been keeping an eye out for Odette himself, but he hadn't spotted her. "I'm quite enjoying it too, it's always nice to meet people." When she asked where in America he was from he couldn't help grinning at her. His accent was definitely less obvious after spending some years at Ilvermorny with people from all over the country, but he could still make it appear whenever he tried. He did now, putting on the thickest Texan accent he could as he tipped an imaginary hat at Amy. "Texan born an' raised, honey." He dropped the act at once, laughing at himself and shaking his head. "Where does your family live? Do any of them go to Ilvermorny?"

 

[Amy Rosemary]

Amy listened to what he was saying, and nodded. "Yeah, I guess he's pretty cool," she smiled and completely avoided talking about the last time she'd actually spoken to him. It had been quite awkward between the two. But that had also been ages ago, she didn't know how he was doing now. "I'm glad you've made good friends," she offered, really thinking so. Not all hufflepuffs were always the stereotypical nice students, as she'd witnessed a couple of years ago, but she knew there were good people in all the houses. "I can't find him," she replied shaking her head. "I agree, it definitely is refreshing." Amy looked around once more, soon spotting her cousin. "Oh! There he is," she said pointing to Matt. The girl burst out laughing at Matthew's impersonation of Texas. Yeah, she'd never been to America but she'd seen enough movies to know which accent that one was. "Well, they are cousins of second degree, but yeah. I can't remember their ages though," he told Matthew. He probably knew them. "I haven't seen them for years."​

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[Matthew Harper]

Matthew wondered if Amy actually knew Reuben or not, but he didn't push her. He was enjoying getting to know the girl in his year, finding it surprisingly easy so far to connect with other Hufflepuffs. He watched Amy spot her cousin and point him out to Matthew. He smiled. "I see, do you have a lot of family at this school?" He asked her curiously. "Siblings?" He had noticed a lot of people had many siblings or cousins at this school, which made sense.

He nodded when she told him she didn't really know her cousin's ages, it made sense to him if she had a big family. "I see, well, maybe I've seen them around. Who knows." He grinned. "Funny idea, right?" He looked around at the others around them. "Are you here alone?"

 

[Amy Rosemary]

</COLOR>

<COLOR color="black">It was a relief to Amy that she was managing to chat with someone new. Although she did miss her friends, she kind of wished Maddie were here too though she could be somewhere. She nodded at his question, happy he had asked her if she had any siblings with her.​

"Yeah! I have a twin brother," she smiled enthusiastically. "It's not over yet though," she chuckled, thinking of how many more people from her family might come to Hogwarts in upcoming years.

Of course there was always the possibility of their parents deciding to move them somewhere else at the last minute. "I'm waiting until the rest of my cousins get accepted in a few years time," she told him, not even wanting to begin counting all of them. Besides, she had yet to meet so many other family members that it felt overwhelming. "Definitely." When Matthew asked if she came here alone, she nodded. "Yeah, I am. You?"​