Dance Dance

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire was one of the first students into the Yule Ball. She had been surprised when Oliver asked her to come, but also glad. She loved dancing but had never had the opportunity to do more than bounce around her room. She twirled the dress in her hands as she listened to the headmaster's speech, admiring the elegance the woman portrayed.

After the speech everyone began to disperse; some towards the food, some towards the tables, but as the music began there were a few students who looked like they wanted to dance. Sapph's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the blond Hufflepuff. She failed to find him right away, and the music was starting to get to her.

Music had always been an escape for Sapphire, one of her great joys in life. Oh, bloody hell. He can find me later. She grinned widely and started bouncing through the other students. The music was upbeat, a song she hadn't heard before. She didn't expect to hear any familiar music tonight but that was okay.

Sapph's hips swayed to the beat of the drums. Her eyes closed and a look of pure ecstasy came over her face. Her arms raised over her head, folded so that her hands rested on the back of her neck. Her entire body swayed as she moved to the music around her, completely lost to the world.

 

[Oliver Foy]

Oliver was glad he'd worked up the courage to ask Sapphire to attend the Yule Ball with him as he entered the Great Hall. As he walked through the room admiring the hall's transformation, the boy let his eyes sweep over the many people, searching for the Slytherin.

He'd been so thrilled she'd accepted his offer, and had dressed his very best, subconsciously wanting to impress her. As he passed by a couple of older students, Oliver's bright blue eyes widened, barely recognizing his friend. It was definitely her, though, and she was dancing in a dress. It was ridiculous now, but he'd been looking for in her usual attire.

"Dancing without me?" He asked teasingly, walking over to her, a warm grin on his face. This close to her, he realized how beautiful she really looked, and his eyes fell on Sapphire's hair -- which fell around her face in elegant raven waves. He felt speechless for a moment before handing her the rose in his hand. Oliver had found it fitting, the deep green stem and leaves, it's petals bright yellow.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapph paused as a familiar voice brought her back down to earth. She opened her eyes and smiled brightly at the blond boy as he approached. "Well, aren't you dashing?" She teased lightly, giving him a once over. He certainly could clean up well. A light blush colored her cheeks as he handed her a bright yellow rose. She brought a hand to her chest. "For me? Oh, you shouldn't have." She took the rose from the boy and leaned in, kissing his cheek quickly.

She then proceeded to put the rose in her hair, braiding her raven locks around the stem so that it would stay as she danced. She took the small black hair tie from off her wrist- she had thought she might need it, and she was right. Once the rose was securely in place, she grabbed Oliver's hands and pulled him along with her. "Dance with me, Ollie," She told him more than asked, a bright smile on her face. She hadn't even thought of coming to the dance until Oliver had asked, and she was now very grateful that he did.

 

[Oliver Foy]

Oliver smirked at Sapphire's comment on him looking dashing. While it just simply a playful tease, the Hufflepuff felt his cheeks warm slightly, and he grinned in amusement at her next statement, giving a dramatic bow.

What she did next took him by suprise, and he felt slightly dazed after she briefly kissed his cheek. They were definitely warm now, and Oliver bit his lower lip to keep from touching his fingers to his face. He admired how cleverly she wove the rose into her hair, and watched as she secured it with the tie from around her wrist.

"I'm glad you came, Sapphire." Oliver said smiling warmly as the Slytherin took his hands and pulled him along. It wouldn't have been the Yule Ball for him without her here, and his smile widened at how she said his name. He found he liked the sound of it even better than Ollivander.

"I'd be honored, Milady." He half-teased, joining in to the beat of the music that filled the hall with a well placed steps. He grinned and holding onto Sapphire's hand he playfully went to twirl her.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapph smiled back at Oliver. "Yeah, thanks for inviting me. To hear music again..." She gave a sly little grin. "I never realized how much I'd miss it."

They started dancing then, and Sapph was quickly lost in the music. She danced with a grace surprising for her small stature. She wasn't quite used to dancing with other people, however, and when Oliver went to spin her she stumbled and fell into his chest.

Sapph laughed, looking up at him with sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks. "Guess I got two left feet, huh?" She teased, breathing harder than usual. She hadn't really let go like this since coming to school.

"Do they have drinks or anything?"

 

[Oliver Foy]

Oliver's face warmed when she thanked him for inviting her. Really he was grateful that Sapphire had accepted, and he nodded his head in agreeance when she mentioned how much she'd missed hearing music. It was really nice. Hogwarts was an amazing place, but he'd been truly upset when he'd discovered that his iPod didn't work properly.

The Hufflepuff couldn't recall having this wonderful of a time as he smiled softly at the Slytherin while they danced. Her grace was on par with his, and it might've even been better, he thought as the two glided over the floor. Oliver let out a small laugh as Sapphire stumbled and fell onto his chest. He bent his head down slightly, looking to see if she was alright and grinned at her response.

"Nah. I didn't execute that twirl just right." The Hufflepuff responded, trying to make her feel better. He'd noticed she'd started breathing a little harder and thought she was flustered at stumbling. Her hair was tickling his neck, and Oliver found that his heart rate sped up with her being so close. "I saw a punch bowl on my way in." He replied, relieved at her idea. He felt slightly nervous for some reason, and a drink sounded good.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapph smiled happily and started bouncing back towards the tables. The music really was infectious. "So," she said cheerfully, ducking and dodging between students like a shadow. "What music do you listen to?" She tried to speak only when she knew Oliver could hear her. "I like instrumentals, but when I want to listen to something more... Upbeat, I tend to go with bands like Daughtry, Starset, sometimes Nickleback or Evanescance. Hell, occasionally I'll listen to old 90's music or new country. It depends on the day and the mood."

Sapphire chattered happily until they finally reached the right table. She turned to Oliver then with a happy smile. "I'm really having fun so far. Thanks for inviting me, Ollie."

She reverted to the new nickname, hoping to see his eyes light up like they had before. For some reason seeing this stupid boy happy just made everything feel... Right.

 

[Oliver Foy]

Oliver listened to Sapphire as she spoke of the kind of music she liked. Weaving through the students to get to the tables, he found her taste of music was far cooler sounding than his. He listened to dubstep and indie music mostly, occasionally listening to older sounds like Simon and Garkfunkel when riding around town in his mom's car. The Hufflepuff wasn't sure she'd approve of his style, but he decided to be honest. "Nice taste! Mine is really all over the place, but I listen to a lot of Calvin Harris. He's got this song Under Control that I really like. That and Coldplay. I love Coldplay." He replied after pondering it over for a moment.

They'd finally reached the tables, decked out with mounds of food and sweets, and Oliver eyed them greedily before his gaze met Sapphire's again. The Hufflepuff beamed brightly, still thinking how lucky he was to have her be here with him. "Hey, it wouldn't be anything without you here!" He stated truthfully, meaning every word and hoping she knew how much this all meant to him. His smile broadened slightly at her shortening of his name, and he reluctantly turned away from her momentarily to pour her a glass of punch.

After pouring one for himself he turned back towards the Slytherin and winked. "Cheers to Sapph, the coolest person I know." Oliver stated quietly before sending her a warm smile and tipping the punch filled glass back.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapph nodded, listening intently as Oliver told her what music he listened to. She made a note to look into it when she got back to the Home for the holiday. She caught him staring at something and almost died when she saw the piles of goodies.

He pulled her from dreams of chocolate death when he stated the ball wouldn't be anything without her there. That sidetracked her a bit. She wasn't used to having people like her. Or want her around, or notice when she wasn't there.

She chewed her lip for a moment as he proposed a toast, and what he suggested broke her pride just a bit. She put her cup on the table a bit harder than necessary- her drink sloshed a bit as the cup hit the table.

Without a thought Sapph stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Oliver's waist, burying her face in his chest without a word. She stayed there a moment before she released him. She whipped around, grabbing her drink like nothing had happened and striding purposefully away.

"I saw chocolate. Let's go." She didn't look back at him as she spoke. A thought occurred to her that unsettled her a bit and she didn't want him to see it in her eyes.

Sapphire had been so worried about her being the death of Oliver that she had never stopped to consider that maybe- just maybe- he would be the death of her.