A Fun Night Ahead of Us

[Charles Abberline]

Charlie, still wondering how in the world he had managed to get himself in this situation, walked down the stairs and towards the entrance hall where he had told Rose he would wait for her in case he'd be there early. He wasn't feeling particularly comfortable in the clothes he was wearing and thought that he looked rather silly in them, so hoped that she would appreciate the effort he had put into it. He hadn't been to the yule ball before so tonight would be his first time attending it, which made him a little nervous because he didn't know what to expect of it yet. Looking around to see if his friend was already standing in the entrance hall, he noticed the loud music coming from inside the great hall and winced. Once he had made sure that she hadn't arrived yet, Charlie leaned against a wall overlooking the place so he could see his friend when she'd arrive and waited patiently for her. The Ravenclaw was determined to make this a fun evening for the both of them, even if it did mean that he had to get out of his comfort zone.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose was feeling a mixture of excitement and worry as she got ready for the ball. It would be fun to spend time with Charlie, but she knew she would be under more scrutiny. After her friends and sister had teased her about Charlie, she was a little nervous to face him. Even worse, now they had been listed in Hogwarts Monthly as a couple. Rose wasn't sure if Charlie had seen that, though she wondered what he thought of it. As usual, Rose was just a little bit late. She hurried down to the entrance hall, already hearing music coming from the great hall. She spotted Charlie and waved at him with a smile, heading over to him. "Hi!" She said brightly, hoping her cheer would disguise her nerves. This wasn't a date, but just like the trip to Brightstone, it felt like it could be one. Like maybe she wouldn't hate it if it was. "You look nice." She said after a small pause, giving him another smile. Was that weird to say? She looked around, hoping that would make the moment feel less awkward. "Should we go in?"

 

[Charles Abberline]

He smiled a little when she approached him, thinking that she looked rather lovely in the dress that she was wearing for the ball. ''Hi,'' the teen replied. ''So do you,'' Charlie said, unbuttoning his jacket now that she was here so hopefully the whole thing would feel a little less formal. He felt a little awkward going to the yule ball with her after reading the article in the monthly and was sure that he had caught someone looking over at them as she walked towards him. Did people really think that they were a couple? Did Rose think that they were a couple now? If so he must have missed the part where one of them had asked the other person to be more than just friends - or had asking one another to the yule ball also implied starting a relationship with each other? It was confusing to him and in not bringing it up he hoped that it wouldn't be mentioned tonight either. ''Let's,'' Charlie answered with a smile. ''Would you mind going for a drink first, though?'' the boy asked.

 

[Rose Holland]

Things seemed to be mostly the same between her and Charlie, though there was a nervous quality to it that hadn't been there before. She wondered if he had read the article too and what he thought of it, but hoped it could be left in the past for now and they could just hang out together. She smiled as he complimented her outfit but didn't say anything else about it, that felt too date-like for her. It was strange to think of every interaction like this, as overthinking wasn't something she usually did. She grinned and nodded as they headed inside. "Drinks sounds good! Let's see what they have." The decorations were very nice and she looked around with wide eyes. "I love the snow." She said, pointing it out. "It's not even winter here but it's always just so cute!" Then she noticed the table with food and drink and nodded at it. "First stop!"

 

[Charles Abberline]

Glad that she agreed on having something to drink first, Charlie followed his friend as they headed over to the table with food and drinks. "It is hard to imagine Christmas without snow," the teen told his friend as she pointed it out to him. "You live in New Zealand, right?" he asked carefully before going on, "Don't you miss it during the holidays?" It had been a standard thing to expect snow to fall during the holidays back in his hometown, and since he didn't know it any other way, the Ravenclaw was curious what a snowless Christmas would be like. He wondered if they would see any of her friends here tonight and what they would say to them. He didn't think that it was such a big deal for the two to attend the Yule Ball together since they had agreed to go because it would be fun, but with the article and Rose's friends teasing her it seemed like a much bigger thing suddenly. He smiled when they approached the table and proceeded to pour some punch - or whatever it was in the bowl - into two cups, handing one of them to his friend with another smile. "Cheers," he said cheerfully, gulping his own drink away

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose glanced in Charlie's direction and shrugged. "Yes, I do live in New Zealand. I don't really miss snow because I'm used to Christmas being in the summer." She said casually as they made her way to the table. "I was born in England, actually, but we moved here when I was really young. I barely remember anything about it." She said honestly. "My parents seem to miss it sometimes, but my sisters an I are just used to the seasons and holidays the way they are here." She wondered how strange it had to be for someone from the Northern Hemisphere. It would be very startling to move between winter and summer like that, and she bet kids that went home to far-off places during the holidays got horrible colds from the sudden change in climate. "Do you miss your home when you're here?" She asked him as they arrived at the snack table. Immediately, Rose popped a snack into her mouth, unable to help herself. The food was one of the reasons she even came to these parties, though Charlie was definitely another reason right now. She smiled as he poured her a some punch and handed it to her. "Thanks!" She said before drinking it up happily. "I always love what they do with the Great Hall and the food during these events. Do you usually go to the dances?" She asked as she looked at him. "I usually go alone." She added, wondering if he had brought someone before.

 

[Charles Abberline]

He listened attentively to Rose and nodded every so often to let the girl know that he was paying attention to what she was saying to him. It was a surprise to hear that she was also born in England as he hadn't known that little fact about his friend, it made him wish that she would still live there as it would undoubtedly be easier for them to meet up during breaks - if they were ever going to see each other outside of school. He chuckled slightly when she said that her parents seemed to miss the snow at times as he could relate to that. Charlie shrugged at the question. He did miss it sometimes due to the fact that he felt a little lonely every now and then, though blamed that on himself for not putting himself out there more. And then there was his Dad, all alone now without his mother there to keep him company whilst he was off at school, which had sometimes caused him to be sad over boarding the express and leaving him behind. He put his cup down on the table again and nodded in agreement at what she said about the Great Hall. ''Not really, I usually walk around the castle seeing as most students and teachers are all here,'' the teen told Rose. ''You'd be surprised at how quiet the castle can be without its residents walking about.'' Before he had known that he'd go to the Yule Ball with his friend, the fourth year had made plans on which side of the castle to explore this year but since he couldn't be at two places at once, decided to do so over the Christmas holidays when the majority of the students would be home.