Closed Easy Question, Easy Answer

[Professor Louis Alcott]

Louis had made a decision. This year, he wasn't going to the yule ball by himself. He didn't want another night of standing at the snack table and talking to Caleb, especially after he had told Caleb and René that he could easily get a date. The only problem was finding someone to go with him. There were plenty of cute girls and guys in his year, so he had tried to narrow it down a bit. He had considered asking Valeria, as showing up with the pretty new girl would be pretty cool, but he had heard through the grapevine that she was already going with Parker. Too bad. He had then considered a few of his other classmates, finally settling on Celia Vuong. Mostly because she didn't seem too approachable and it would be pretty cool if he could brag about her saying yes to him. She was pretty, smart and definitely well-known. After potions, Louis rushed a bit to catch up to her, grinning as he fell into step beside her. "Hey Celia." He said. "What's up?"

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia left Potions in a good mood. That was rare for her these days. Between the boggart encounter and the Quidditch match, she had spent a lot of time stewing in her anger. But today, she was fine. Her Ancient Runes presentation earlier that morning had gone smoothly, and she had gotten a decent head start on studying for her Potions exam. Things weren't exactly looking up — she didn't dare trust whatever good fortune she experienced to last — but they certainly weren't looking down.

Perhaps that's why she allowed Louis to fall into step next to her instead of trying to brush past him. Still, she gave him a curious look. They weren't friends, and she wondered what he wanted. "Hey." Celia considered asking him outright what he wanted before deciding to play along. She had time. "Counting down the days until I never have to touch another bottle of leech juice again. You?" She assumed he wasn't actually interested in how she was doing or what she thought of Potions, and she waited for him to take the lead in this conversation.

 

[Professor Louis Alcott]

Louis was glad Celia didn't try to brush him off and didn't ask why he was talking to her, those seemed like promising signs. She would definitely say yes, right? He laughed softly at her answer. "It was pretty gross." He agreed with a shrug. "Still better than having to cut up something foul, though." He added, wrinkling his nose. Louis wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty, but the smell of some of the ingredients left a lot to be desired. "I'm pretty good." He said easily. "Hopefully better in a second." He added, before clearing his throat. "I was actually hoping to ask you something." He said, running his hand through his hair. "You're like, one of the most stylish girls in our year, you know. I figure you have a nice outfit prepared for the yule ball." He said, before launching into his question. "Wanna show it off next to me? I mean, I'm asking you to the dance." He said inwardly wincing. He wished he had managed that a bit more smoothly. But it wasn't terrible. He just hoped she would say yes.

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia nodded in agreement. "That's true." It was a surprise wizards hadn't found more pleasant alternatives by now. Their time would be better served learning potion theory instead of mindlessly following recipes. Then she could invent better, less disgusting potions. Louis cleared his throat, and she raised an eyebrow, wondering what question needed such a dramatic lead-up. She was starting to get an idea when he complimented her. Celia did think herself one of the most stylish girls in their year; she just didn't think Louis of all people would have noticed.

And there it was. Surprise flashed across her face before she could adopt a more neutral expression. Did this mean he liked her? "Yeah, I gathered as much," Celia said dryly when he clarified that he was asking to the ball. Her first instinct was to say no. Spending an entire evening with Louis was not exactly her idea of a good time. He was tolerable in small doses — very small doses. Her mind whirred as she weighed the decision. "Are you going to be wearing something worth showing my outfit off next to?" she asked. Though her question was mostly an attempt to stall the conversation while she mulled her answer, it was also a legitimate concern. She was not going to be seen at the dance next to someone who refused to recognize that the Yule Ball was a formal event.

 

[Professor Louis Alcott]

Louis braced himself for the possibility of rejection, ready to pass the whole thing off as a joke if she didn't say yes. He watched Celia from the corner of his eye, his heart beating a bit faster. He hadn't really expected to get nervous, but he still was. He tried to keep looking casual and even a bit disinterested. But once Celia asked him a question, he was quick to answer. "I mean, I'm wearing a suit." He said, even though he had still been debating if he should bother. "You should come with me and judge for yourself if it's any good." He added with a slight grin.

 

[Celia Vu]

Pros: Louis was popular, cute, and being seen with him at the dance could boost her own popularity. She could do a lot worse when it came to a date. Cons: He had a talent for getting on her nerves within five minutes of opening his mouth. Plus, Celia wasn't sure how she felt about agreeing to a date with the person she had technically lost to in the dueling tournament.

At least it sounded like he planned on actually dressing up for the event. "I don't have to be your date to judge your outfit," Celia pointed out. That was something she would gladly be doing at the ball, date or not. Half the fun of dances was people-watching and gossiping about particularly bad outfits — though she supposed she couldn't really do that if she went with Louis. Despite his earlier compliment, she doubted he actually knew much about fashion. Celia let a few more seconds slip by before finally nodding. "I'll go with you." She did rather like the idea of finally having a date to one of the school dances. And if things went south, she could always just ditch him and find her friends.