Behind the scenes

[Theseas Stratis]

A book about dragon taming and a mug of hot chocolate. This was how Theseas Stratis was planning to spend the night of the Yule Ball. He hadn't turned down this annual event in the first place. It was just yesterday when he managed to summon enough courage and ask Victoria Chase to be his date for the Yule Ball. Theseas had preferred to do so by passing to her a note with his suggestion during class. The response he received wasn't exactly the one he was hoping for. An intense argument took place after class, with Victoria pulling him aside to confront him for asking her. The incident had left Theseas utterly confused and disheartened. Girls were so hard to understand sometimes so he decided just to forget about it and spent his night on something that it wasn't out of his element.

Sitting at the ledge of the north window, he had a nice view of the lake. Though not much could be discerned in the dark veil of the night, a sheen of silver moonlight was cast on the wrinkled waters. For the most part, he managed to ignore the commotion taking place in the common room as fellow Gryffindors were getting ready for the ball. Theseas glanced around the room as he turned a page but his attention never returned back to the book. He watched Victoria Chase making a beeline for the portrait hole and a puzzled expression stuck on his face. Theseas' initial thought was that she had planned to go to the ball with someone else or alone. Her attire though wasn't suitable for the occasion. He jumped off the ledge and left the book and mug behind him, determined to find out what she was up to. He checked that he had his wand with him and left the common room as well. As the portrait covered the entrance behind him, he saw her walking around the corner, heading towards the grand staircase. He followed her from a distance, careful not to attract unwanted attention. She had successfully piqued the curiosity of a Stratis.

 

[Victoria Chase]

With the yule ball on a full swing tonight, Victoria Chase felt the taunting boredom clawing up to her. Initially, she was in the girls dorm, where she was sitting upon her bed whilst watching two wooden figurines battle each other. They were toys charmed to continuously do whatever Vee wanted them to do. It was part of the card sent to her that these toys could either dance together (they were of the opposite gender) or battle one another. Victoria loved these toys despite her age and right now, it was her only source of entertainment from anything, save perhaps for the regular shrieks and giggles of the ladies flocking around the dormitory as they fixed their makeup and dresses. Indeed, this was going to be a long night for Vee.

The voices soon faded, until the dorm was almost deserted like an abandoned shelter. Vee glanced to the bed next to hers, wondering where Dominique would probably be. She really wanted her blonde best friend and perhaps even play a light game of chess, but the leggy beauty was nowhere to be found. That left Victoria to fend herself from boredom. She cursed herself for subjecting herself to not going to the ball in the first place. Her parents offered to take her shopping to find the perfect gown for the annual event but due to pending schoolwork she still had on hold, Vee thought it was best to simply skip the ball and just review. But, it was not like nobody wanted to be her date to the ball. Theseas Stratis, who was also in her year, decided to invite her yesterday to the yule ball with the corniest and lamest invitation ever - on a piece of crumpled parchment. It made Victoria stiffen, wondering why on earth would the Stratis twin invite her of all people when obviously, her company was probably not his type in the first place. It was true; they've spent more time with each other than necessary for the past months but Victoria thought of it as nothing. Maybe it was coincidence that they sat together in class sometimes? For all Vee knew, she could have been his last resort. Nevertheless, the idea of the both of them going together to the ball was unlikely and it somehow made her shudder. First of all, were they even friends? Or just the occasional acquaintance? Either way, she was rather glad she didn't accept his invitation reluctantly or else she would have dragged herself to the Great Hall and effectively ruin her dress.

She decided that spending time in her dorm room wasn't going to be worth her evening. Victoria had to get out - preferably outdoors as a matter of fact - and bring her toys with her. The figurines who have been battling were immediately inanimate as Vee flicked her wand, muttering 'finite.' She gathered the wooden man and woman that were only as big as her hands and went straight outside, not sparing a glance at any person who looked at her strangely, as if wondering why'd she go to the ball wearing that along with her Gryffindor robes. She reached the staircase and descended the steps, effectively avoiding the Great Hall and the other couples in the grand doors that led outdoors. She pushed it aside and stepped outside, reveling in the fresh breeze the summer night had to offer. She grinned, knowing as much that this decision was better than staying in her dorm all night. Vee walked to the black lake, rather excited to test out her figurines just above the waters. A few meters away from the lake, she stopped and set her figurines down and enchanted them to dance this time. They did, the man gracefully holding the woman in his arms as they waltzed in synchronization. Victoria then slowly cast a spell for them to hover right in front of her, and with that levitated them just above the lake to hover above the peaceful waters as they danced. Vee folded her arms and looked at her self made production, along with the distant music in the background that was provided by the yule ball itself. Beautiful.
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[Theseas Stratis]

Floors were left behind and the gryffindor prefect didn't look like she was intending to stop anywhere. Instead she guided him straight to the great floor where students were meeting up. Theseas had dismissed the possibility of the girl going to the ball. Her attire just didn't match the occassion and she proved him right as she moved on. He snaked through the crowd as effectively as she did and sneaked out of the entrance hall before the double doors she pushed open were able to close again. He watched her crossing the courtyard and going straight to the grounds, disappearing into the night. Theseas was determined to not lose her. It hit him that she could be taking care of her prefect duties and just went on a patrol but as he left the floodlit castle behind him, he thought it was worth the investigation and followed her.

Victoria took him straight to the black lake's shores. Theseas remained in the dark and waited to see what she was up to. Now that his eyes had adjusted to darkness, he could watch her enchanting a pair of figurines and make them dance in the air, a few meters away from her and above the waters. They actually seemed to be dancing to the music coming from the castle. It was still audible and Theseas was thankful for muffling his footsteps against the dry grass throughout the time he was tailing after her. He would have never imagined that Victoria Chase liked playing with toys by the lake. Her usual sassy attitude and raw sense of sarcasm didn't match this more sensitive side. Theseas decided to stepped out of the shadows and approached her. He pretended that he hadn't expected to find someone there and let surprise show on his face. "Hello." He announced his arrival and hoped he hadn't gave her a heart attack. "Who would have thought that you have such a romantic side." He mused with a hint of sarcasm as he watched the dancing pair floating gracefully.

 

[Victoria Chase]

Vee slowly put down her wand, allowing her magic to sustain the hovering of the wooden pair just a few meters away from her. The sweet melody coming from the ball was giving life to the dance of the pair and Victoria almost wished she could do that right now with someone who would be eternally special to her. It was romantic and heart softening, she could not deny that. She sighed softly, but a voice surprised her out of her skin causing her eyes to widen and she gasped, putting a hand over her chest as she faced the intruder's voice.

"Sh*t," Victoria breathed and saw the unlikeliest person she ever had the chance to talk to tonight. Theseas Stratis, the same guy who attempted something awfully out of character for him yesterday, was next to her in the flesh. A million thoughts ran through her head, mainly questions on why was he here and not in the ball. People would not miss the annual yule ball, except of course for this certain Gryffindor prefect, so why would Theseas make an exception? His next words were somewhat true regarding Victoria's personality. She really was a romantic, though she never really showed it to the people around the school. The brunette had nothing to exactly be romantic about except for this show of toys before her. If they were real people it would be beautiful watching graceful and slender bodies dance together in perfect harmony. Her lips quirked for a second and she now looked at Theseas fully than the dancing pair in front. "Huh. What are you doing here?" Then all at once, she felt quite awkward seeing the person she rejected. The inevitable question formulated quickly in her mind, though she did not voice it out loud, she raised a brow at him instead. He was wearing something simple - not at all fit for a fancy ball that the school hosted yearly. Just like her, it was if he was ready to do something totally random. Victoria was dressed in nothing but a sweater 2 sizes bigger than her actual size and a pair of skin tight leggings. She had velvet flats on and of course, her Gryffindor robe draped over her shoulders. There was nothing on her that screamed 'going to the ball' and she wondered if he was also here because he was bored and decided that staying outdoors was better than waiting for more people in the common room to return. "Aren't you supposed to be in the yule ball?" Vee slowly asked the question, knowing that her curiosity would someday be the death of her.
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[Theseas Stratis]

It was obvious that the prefect didn't expect to see him there. Theseas wondered for a moment if it was risky to talk to her while it was night and he was out of the castle. As a prefect she could easily turn him in to the head of their house but Theseas decided take his chances. Thoughts of why she had rejected him the way she did, swirled in his head. She was there at the lake, alone. Apparently no one else had invited her to the ball as he had initially thought. Or it was just her enjoying blowing down all the guys asking her. If she was trying to repel him after what he did back at class, she was succeeding in doing the exact opposite. "What am I doing here." He repeated to gain a few more moments to find a nice excuse. Unlike her, his attention was right on the dancing figurines. "I came for a swim of course. The weather is warmer and I love night swimming." His eyes met hers as he told her something that wasn't exactly a lie. Theseas was indeed visiting the lake some days at night to swim but no that particular night. "I would have been in the yule ball, if only the girl I asked had agreed to come along." His cut directed for her but it wasn't ill-mannered. Instead a soft smile was on his face as he took a couple of steps closer to the waters. "It's a shame. I heard that this year they had an ice ring and a direct join to the gardens." he muttered as he took off his hoodie and revealed to her the back of his leaned frame. Victoria accusing him for stalking her was something he really didn't want so he decided he had to be believable.

 

[Victoria Chase]

Victoria was not so sure as to buy his intention to go night swimming. It was not so cold after all and this place would be a perfect getaway from anything right now. Victoria did not comment on why he chose tonight anyway, deciding either way it would not really matter because she had seen him already. For some reason she found it unsurprising when he expressed his love for night swimming and for a moment, she realized she found a common interest they shared. However swimming on school grounds and in a lake where students have been rumored to die in secretly frightened her so Vee was sure she would never try that.

Victoria felt herself slightly wince when he indirectly mentioned the rejection she had given him yesterday. To her, she only wanted to protect herself from an awkward evening with Theseas, even though their meetings with each other were sparked with mild mischief and surprising normality instead. Besides, since when did she want to get closer to this Stratis twin? She was certain he was trying to guilt trip her especially whilst he mentioned the yulle ball's twist. The ice skating rink was not new to the prefect's ears and she nodded along, knowing that it indeed was incorporated into the annual event. She was not a sly prefect for no reason after all. Victoria was about to respond when Theseas proceeded to strip - well to be fair, he only took off his hoodie and Vee felt herself blink at his toned back. For someone who lives with 2 brothers at home, Victoria was fairly used to seeing the male anatomy. Instead of blushing at the sight, she frowned and approached him until she was next to her classmate. "You're really going to have a swim in a lake where students were rumored to die in?" Vee questioned and made sure the disapproving tone in her voice was clear. She glanced at the lake, wondering if there really was a shark or giant squid in there, waiting for the perfect timing to snatch one of the figurines dancing. Vee knew nothing much of the lake's history, but the rumors about it were second nature to her. She stretched her neck to see if anything was there lurking at the far end of the waters. Nothing seemed to break the stillness of the water body. Shrugging, she looked back at Theseas and cleared her throat. "Well, I'd be honored to push you right in then leave as to not disturb you." Victoria already thought of where to head after and perhaps in the Astronomy Tower? The 360 degree view there would be perfect to view everything going on, and perhaps she'd witness Theseas getting eaten by whatever monster was in the lake from up there.
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[Theseas Stratis]

Theseas was indeed going to dive into the dark waters. Since she had rejected him and didn't go to the yule ball, he had nothing better to do anyway and the lake was so inviting in this mild night. "No need to do that." Theseas proceeded by taking off his shoes and then his pants. With only his black trunks on, he stepped towards the waters. The water was colder than expected. It blasted his skin but he couldn't step back now and look like a fool. Instead, he continued walking against the water, clenching his teeth and when he was waist-deep into the lake, he dove into the black waters. Blood rushed through his body and he slightly panicked when he opened his eyes underwater and he found himself enveloped in blackness. But when he emerged back at the surface, he felt this incredible jolt of controlled energy. "Yeah, it seems so." He replied to her question and brushed his wet hair back from his forehead. "They were just rumors as you said and I don't think a giant squid can really dwell in such shallow waters." He pointed out and stood up to show her that he bottomed on the lake's floor were he was swimming. Theseas floated on his back with his arms behind his head and admired the night sky. "You should try this. It's awesome!" He invited but he was sure that Victoria Chase would never get in the lake, at least at night. Theseas swam closer to the shore where she was standing but left only his head above the waters. Now that his body had get used to the waters' temperature the warm breeze was going to feel colder against his bare skin. He watched the two figurines dancing overhead and then looked at her. "I don't understand why you didn't want to go to the ball. Don't you die for such kind of events?" He asked her and wondered if he had misjudged her.

 

[Victoria Chase]

Victoria watched as he continued to strip down until he was only wearing black trunks to protect his decency thankfully. Of course, he had declined her offer to push him in instead. Victoria did not feel disappointed, only wryly amused, and watched as he slowly and steadily immersed himself in the black waters. She wondered what the water felt like in this kind of temperature, but she dared not to wet even a toe just to find out. Vee walked a little closer to the edge, but not too close to accidentally lose her balance. Watching Theseas disappear underwater and resurface was somewhat weird, yet Vee did not feel as if she was a stranger in his presence. She shook her head, muttering an inaudible 'no thanks' as he invited her in the waters, because having a night swim was the last thing she wanted to do tonight. Her night swims normally consisted of doing it in clean swimming pools that had bright lights underneath them that change color regularly. Victoria was quite disgusted as she imagined herself even trying to swim there and so she refrained from accepting anything that had to do with the black lake.

She settled into silence, yet she never removed her eyes off his frame. She was rather curious to know what it felt to swim in the lake, but for sanitary reasons, she willed herself not to ever set a foot in the possibly murky waters in the first place. Her ears heard his words clearly when he questioned her about the ball. Of course, that topic was impossible to evade! She sighed, understanding this assumption of herself. Of course, anyone who didn't directly know Vee would presume this initially. "Good question." Truth be told, Victoria simply loved the idea of preparing these fancy events. She loved planning dress codes, decor, guest lists and the like. However, actually attending an event that required a lot of social obligations was not her cup of tea. "Guess what? I don't like social events that much. They're too boring - too many small talks, you know? And maybe I'd rather do something as cheesy as watching two wooden figurines dancing than actually be the one dancing in a ball." It was true, everything was true. "And why are you here instead of in the ball? Don't you have a list of girls to invite? Did every single one of them turn you down?" Vee slightly mocked with a matching pity frown to it. She liked being an annoyance to him and for some reason, she wondered how'd he get the idea of inviting her.
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[Theseas Stratis]

Theseas took a deep breath and hid half of his face underneath the water's serene surface, leaving only his gray eyes to shot a doubtful look at Victoria Chace. He blew bubbles in the water and rolled his eyes while listening to her implausible assertion. He didn't buy a word she was saying. She lived to make an impression with her expensive dress. It was so unlikely of her to stay away from the spotlights. His inquisitive gaze rested for a moment on her face's features. Had he really misjudged her that much? It could be. People could change, why not her. What hadn't changed was her brazen attitude. Theseas found himself attracted to her insolent manner. "I find the event boring as well." He replied to her mock as his mouth resurfaced. It was true. Theseas couldn't care less about social events. "If I was going to turn up that would have happened only if you have agreed to come with me." He continued with disarming sincerity. "Since you declined so sweetly, there was no reason to ask someone else or bother to go anyway." Theseas stressed the word 'sweetly' and with a kick on the sludgy lake floor he pushed off and submerged. He need to move a little and warm up. While still underwater in a streamline position, he began several dolphin kicks prior to rising again to the surface. Theseas floated on his back as the waters around him simmered down. His attention was on the starry, night sky but the devious expression on his face suggested that something crafty was going on in his mind. "Oh. Now I get it." He broke the lulling chirp of the crickets but still looking skywards. "You didn't go to the ball because my brother didn't invite you." He gloated and submerged again with inner delight for what he quipped. Theseas surfaced to see the damage his snipe had caused and wiped the water from his face. Despite the cool detachment in his eyes, there was a little rise in the corner of his mouth. He really wanted to see if this was the real reason behind her unexpected disinterest to the ball and what was really going on with his twin.

 

[Victoria Chase]

The whole thing about Theseas abruptly asking Victoria to the Yule Ball ushered frantic thoughts into the prefect's mind. It made her confused about what he wanted from her but Victoria was damn sure she was not about to give anything to him. Were they friends? Enemies, still? Were they even enemies in the first place? Victoria doubted it. They never went over as much as having a mild rivalry for all she could remember. Victoria swallowed whilst he explained his absence to the ball and so far, she summed up his reason was all because of this rejection. Perhaps it was not the entire reason, but she was sure she was a part of it. Vee did not comment, opting to keep her thoughts to herself and allow the silence to reign for a few more moments.

He spoke and Victoria did not face him. She had her eyes stuck to the vastness of the sky, showcasing the brilliance of the stars. Pollution did not the affect the atmosphere as much in this area. She wanted to snort, showing him that whatever he understood by now was useless and something he would probably like to mock her about. However, his next words came as an unpleasant surprise and she sharply looked down at his head that was still above the waters and from her place, she could evidently spot that devious yet questioning look all the same. Disgusted by this assumption, she wrinkled her nose and her face scrunched up as if she just tasted something extremely sour. "So this is why people who say you're smart are called liars." Victoria ran a hand through her hair, clearly unmoved by such as a statement. Perseas Stratis was an immature boy in her eyes and if they were put together, they'd burst into flames like fiendfyre. "I don't care if he didn't invite me. I never planned to go with anyone, anyway." She sniffed and looked away, specifically up at the dancing figurines. They were swaying still, graceful for things made of wood, and she could only imagine herself dancing in somebody else's arms. Neither of the twins struck her fancy, on that note. "Can you answer me honestly? Why'd you invite me, out of all people? Aren't you chasing the tail of that Hufflepuff girl? The nerdy one?" Vee pointedly asked and purposely included Rhiannon McGowan into the conversation. Victoria sincerely wished he would not try lying or evading the question. Questions like these made things interesting and awkward, but she was ready to give it a brutally honest approach.
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[Theseas Stratis]

Theseas examined as much as he could in the darkness of the night, Victoria's features for her reaction to his innuendos. She looked and sounded completely negative to the scenario of Theseas' twin asking her to be his date. The animosity she displayed for his twin, made Theseas believe that he had a chance with her. All this time he thought that she had a crush on him, the reason why he had been seeing her sometimes around him. He wasn't going to admit this but he was boiling with jealousy every time it happened to see them talking or mocking each other at classes. "Yeah, sure. Whatever." He openly doubted her assertion but inside him, he was glad for what he had just heard.

His fingertips started getting wrinkly after some time and he barely could control the chattering of his teeth as he was getting cold. He walked out of the lake and headed for his clothes. He didn't have anything to dry up himself so he just put on his jeans and t-shirt that stuck on his wet body. Theseas snorted as he listened to her question and wore his hoodie to get warm again. "Why are you curious to know?" He evaded the straight answer for a moment. She seemed to be interest on continuing this awkward conversation and this was an indication for Theseas that she might was interested in him as well as, he was in her. There was no other reason to mention his date two years ago. Someone would have expected Victoria Chase to not really care about other people's dates if they were insignificant to her. "I assume you refer to Rhiannon McGowan." He said, although Victoria's reference was dead obvious. "I wouldn't describe it as chasing her tail." He chuckled amused, now completely dressed sitting on a rock few meters away from her. "Let's say I know Perseas more than he thinks I do, and I wanted to get in his nerves by just asking the girl he likes." He revealed with the most devilish smile he had ever given to her.

"Rhiannon is a nice girl. Quite of the modest side." He continued and ran his fingers through his wet hair. "I prefer girls with bolder attitude." His dark, grey eyes shifted on her when he said that. It was a crystal clear implication as he retained eye contact with her, his dark grey eyes with her green ones, that by girls with bolder attitude, he meant her. As silence awkwardly loomed again, Theseas turned his attention at the charmed figurines which were still dancing over the waters. It didn't take him long to get her into the limelight of their unorthodox conversation. "It's your turn now to answer me honestly. Why you went with Perseas to the ball when allegedly you don't like him? I saw you two kissing." He mentioned this unpleasant occurrence and watched for her reaction again.

 

[Victoria Chase]

Victoria closed her eyes and a tight expression formed on her face when she heard Theseas' response. It was like he did not believe she disliked Perseas in more ways than one, and he was letting her say false words. When Victoria was with Perseas Stratis, they were a clash of bombs, timing down to zero before exploding and causing things to erupt. Victoria always knew Theseas was the one she could tolerate more between the twins and she appreciated that little fact.

"Oh, lovely. You already knew how to play with one's emotions at the age of thirteen. Devious much," Victoria remarked, though not with a sneer, but with an uninterested tone and a brief roll of her eyes. If he started to directly wonder that at a certain point in time, Vee liked Perseas, then she'd literally smack him on his head, not caring if he'd push her into the lake for that. Theseas was changing into his clothes, despite being all drenched, and Victoria did not even move a muscle to offer to perform the draught charm to dry him up. If Theseas wanted to get a cold the following day, then she would let him be, unless he would ask her now to perform the spell for him. But as far as Victoria knew, she wasn't going to move unless he asked her nicely. Though as of now, she was more focused on the greys that were his eyes and how it considerably bore into hers whilst he mentioned his preference to bold attitudes. The corner of her mouth twitched and as much as she did not want to assume he was talking about her, she had a feeling of dread that she was his subject who had a "bolder attitude." Victoria could describe herself as bold, yes, and she could also add the words insensitive, b*tchy and sarcastic to her own description of her personality. She bit the inside of her cheek before replying. "We thought it would be interesting if we went together, is all. It all went so fast." Her reply was vague, short and dumb and she knew Theseas might question her more about this. "I actually forgot about that kiss. It was a long time ago." She shrugged, feigning it was no big deal at all but honestly, who girl would forget her first kiss? Certainly not Victoria.

Victoria sat down on the ground daintily, whilst her hands supported her weight as she leaned back to look at the night sky. It was actually better now as she sat down, because everything about her was for her to casually enjoy and observe. Perhaps even at the darkness of the night, Victoria could take snatch glances at Theseas. He had a toned physique and as a young lady, she wasn't just going to exclude that from her observations. However at the same time, she thought that yule ball when she was thirteen and everything in the world revolved around pretending to be more mature than she should be. She specifically didn't like that era of hers and she preferred to change the subject. But now, what else could they talk about? Theseas was done with his night swim and Victoria hoped he would have the brains to leave her right now, before things became more uncomfortable and unbearable.
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[Theseas Stratis]

Theseas couldn't tell if Victoria was just pretending to be uninterested to his twin brother or she was just trying to hide her true feelings by referring to what have happened between the two of them as unimportant. Regardless, her reaction remained neutral when he suggested that he liked girls with attitude. It was making it harder for him to confess his attraction and even he had an ego that he couldn't let it be wounded twice in a row. They both remained silent for a while. Theseas could feel her eyes on him but every time he glanced at her, she was looking either at the night sky or the dancing toys.

Maybe he had to find another way to see if she was interested and the idea hit him while he was also watching those figurines floating gracefully in the air. The first impression of other people for Theseas could be that of a polite, low-key guy. Contrary to his twin who could be described as louder and more of the cunning side. No one knew that behind his serene, grey eyes was hidden a more devious side that he was about to utilize. "The truth is, I wanted to go with you to the ball because I wanted to talk to you about something personal." He made on purpose a promising introduction. "We've been talking a bit more lately and I thought you could give me some helpful advice." He continued as he drew his wand to cast a draught charm on him and his clothes before he was going to catch a nasty cold. A pleasant warmth crawled on his skin. "There's that girl that I like. I mean, I think I have fell hard for her." He said with a glowing smile. "I think you could help me with that. You're a girl, you could tell me what I can do to get her attention." He said and looked at her, waiting for her response. Usually, Victoria Chase would eagerly give tips to someone who was hopeless in romance, even when she was never asked for them. It was her experimental games. Influencing even a bit the lives of others. Theseas knew that and he was using this right now but it wasn't the only crafty element of his sly plan.

 

[Victoria Chase]

There was a moment of temporary silence between them and Victoria used to it to wish Theseas was not harboring a growing attraction towards her. Victoria was always the type of girl to have a shallow crush towards someone however, a legit attraction that will cause deeper relationships to develop was still slightly scary in her perspective. Victoria sighed heavily and leveled her gaze towards the serene lake. Images of Theseas' bare torso flashed in her mind and she closed her eyes, winced in disgust, and opened them with her head bowed down. Theseas Stratis was handsome, yes, but thinking about him that way was grosser than pleasurable.

Victoria looked up when he spoke and she blinked at him, suddenly curious about this personal topic. She did hope she wasn't going to be bored about it, but knowing Theseas, this was everything but boring to talk about. Even if they talked about magical creatures, Vee always caught herself slightly wondering about how he could talk about things like they were somehow majestic and interesting. She kept quiet, her eyes prodding him to continue. If he wanted advice, then he could've asked her over breakfast, lunch or dinner. Was it necessary to really take her out to the ball because of this? Victoria noticed his smile stretch the corners of his lips and she listened carefully. When he spoke of that personal matter, meaning he wanted some advice on romance, Victoria smirked and rolled her eyes. Of course, she was being assigned to be his wingwoman. She pieced the info together, understanding that Theseas wanted to take her out to the ball most probably to let her survey who this unlucky girl was and give him the appropriate advice. "You're too scared to make a move aren't you? You put shame to Gryffindor." She didn't laugh at him, but she had this feeling that if she had no self control, she'd burst out laughing. "You know, you didn't have to invite me to the ball just to ask for some advice. We could've talked about this over dinner or after class. Plus, what if she saw you in the ball with me, thinking I'm your girlfriend? That would be off," Victoria said, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

Victoria sat up straight and crossed her legs Indian style whilst on the ground. She wanted to hear this, before her curiosity gnawed at her alive. "Okay, who is this girl? Please don't tell me she's a seventh year because that would be so weird." Seventh year girls were way out of Victoria's league to give advice about and she barely knew the seventh years in the school. Sure, she knew the Head people, but besides from that, Vee had zero information about their personal lives. She heard the occasional rumors that were horrifying, embarrassing, shocking and the like. Other than that, Victoria was an outsider. The prefect was excited to see if Theseas taste on girls were pleasantly acceptable, or a horrifying problem.
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[Theseas Stratis]

As he had expected, Victoria was immediately willing to share her advice. He smirked when she commented on his cowardice but he was prepared to oppose her. "Maybe this happens because of girls like you. I just asked you to join me as a friend at the ball, and you just completely flipped out like an erumpent in a cauldrons' shop." He chuckled and pointed out that her reaction to a simple, friendly invitation at the ball was a little exaggerated. Theseas let her believe that she was right and he was wrong for wanting to go with her at the ball and ask there for advice. He actually showed that he understood how bad this could have turned up. "I didn't have thought that." He said with a nod. "See? You really know what could turn off a girl, that's why I wanted your help in first place." He added to show her how desperate he was for tips.

He didn't tell who the girl was until Victoria asked herself. Theseas was actually struggling the whole time not to say it as he was dying to see the impact of the sound of it on Victoria's face. When nothing worked, jealousy was the last resort option. It worked with him, it could work with Victoria. "No don't worry. She's not a seventh year." He quickly dismissed her assumption. "She's in our year. I don't know her well but you do. You're roommates and I have seen you hanging out with her." Theseas tried to sound nervous and might have succeeded in doing so as he paused to take a deep breath before revealing the name. "It's your blondie friend. Dominique." He finally confessed and ran his eyes over her face. Theseas had first had first noticed Victoria's closest friend upon watching the dueling match of his brother against her last year. Undeniably she was a beautiful girl but he hadn't felt the kind of attraction he was experiencing each time he was looking into Victoria's green eyes. Now however, he was going to act interested and maybe trigger Victoria's jealousy. The way she did to him when she was talking about his twin. "We've never talked. I don't know how to make the first move when I don't know nothing about her." He sighed and ran his hand in his hair. "I feel an *ss for actually playing with you." He frowned, avoiding eye contact this time. "We've been hanging out a little bit more lately and I was feeling more comfortable asking you to the ball and see how this was going pan out. I know I'm not the typical Gryffindor oozing confidence and I didn't want to ask Dominique the way I did to you and get rejected like that. It was something like a dry run." Theseas implied that he had been experimenting in the first place due to the closeness developed the past few months between him and Victoria. "I feel so bad." He repeated as he looked at the sky. "But at least I'm honest with you now." He finally summoned enough courage to directly look at her. "I'm desperate for your help." He claimed and folded his hands together.