Closed Final Yuletide Dance

[Alice Holland]

Alice had headed into the Great Hall with Elliot, a bright smile on her face. It always felt wonderful to see everyone dressed up and dancing, and Alice felt excitement for tonight. There was some melancholy too, as it was her final yule ball at Hogwarts, but there was time to reflect on that later. For now, she just wanted to enjoy herself with her boyfriend. Alice took Elliot's hand and squeezed it, then started to lead him to the dance floor. "Let's put that dance lesson to use." She told him with a smile.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Yule really was one of Elliot's favourite times of year, he was even getting used to spending it in the Summer the longer he stayed around New Zealand. And after dancing with Alice last year, he had another reason be particularly fond of it, smiling as she took his hand and towed them out onto the dance floor as they made their way into the hall. "I think us dancing is tradition now," He said with a smile, putting his other hand on Alice's shoulder. He knew technically they were probably a little closer together than they should have been compared to the dance lessons, but with the knowledge that this was his last Yule with Alice at school, Elliot couldn't help but want to hold her a little closer. "We should do something. Over the holidays I mean. If you have time," He said as they started to move with the music. Elliot knew Alice had a big family, and he had his own to see and work on top of that, but he still wanted to see her, as much as he could.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice grinned as Elliot placed his hand on her shoulder, moving to the dancing position they had learned recently. "That's good, because I like dancing with you." She said quietly, leaning in to give Elliot a quick kiss. She knew he wasn't the biggest fan of kissing in public, but sometimes she couldn't help herself. They fell into a rhythm, though they were a bit closer together than they had been during the lessons. She hoped Professor Castillo or Nurse Arora wouldn't pop up to pull them apart. But the dancefloor was crowded enough that she thought they could get away with it. "I would love that." She said as Elliot suggested doing something over the holidays. "I'll miss you a lot. I'll also need a break from my family after a few days." She commented. "Would you want to visit my house?" She asked him hesitantly, aware that it would be an overwhelming experience for him with all her sisters and her parents.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot tightened his grip on Alice's hand when she leant in to kiss him, unable to keep himself from smiling as she pulled away. He was still looking at her a little dazed, watching the glimmering lights and snowflakes reflected in her eyes when he realized she'd answered his question, mentally giving himself a shake. His chest felt warm when she mentioned missing him over the break, glad that the feeling was mutual, especially with how much time Elliot had spent thinking about Alice over the last holidays. "Yeah, yeah me too," He said, though he wasn't sure if he meant it in regards to missing her or needing a break from his dad. Maybe both. The thought of visiting Alice's house did make Elliot pause though, almost causing him to fall out of time with their dance, though he quickly corrected his feet, grateful that it gave him a moment to think about it. He did want to see Alice, it didn't matter where, but, as much as he did forget about it sometimes, Alice was also the daughter of the Minister of Magic, and there was no escaping that being a little daunting. At least Rose, Alice's oldest sister, had been nice when Elliot met her, even if Diana scared him pretty badly. "Will uh. All your family be there?" He asked her lightly, giving her a sheepish look.

 

[Alice Holland]

Elliot saying he also needed a break from his family made Alice feel a bit more curious about what his family was like. From what she knew, it was a lot smaller than her own, so she had assumed it would be quieter and with less drama as well. Maybe that was wrong. Still, she was glad that he wanted to see her over the holidays. The idea of visiting her family was clearly a little startling to Elliot, and Alice couldn't really blame him. "Well, depends on when you'd visit." She said with a small shrug. "Phoebe and Rose will visit and stay for a few days around Christmas, but they'll be heading to their own places after that." She told him. "I'm afraid Diana will be there, unless she finds something she deems more interesting to do." Alice said, pulling a face for a moment. "But Lucy is there too to balance her out, she's the sweetest." She said with a smile. But then her smile faltered a little. "But you don't have to come, I know my family is a lot." She said after a moment.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Unable to resist the urge, Elliot let his fingers brush along Alice's neck, toying with a small piece of hair that'd come loose from her updo as she talked about her family, making sure he nodded as she explained who'd be around when to show he was still listening. It was unfortunate that Diana was going to be around a lot not matter what it seemed, considering outside maybe Alice's Minister mother, she was the one who intimidated him the most, but ultimately it didn't matter. "I want to come, I want to see you," He insisted, letting his hand drop to rest back on Alice's shoulder. "I just need to know who to mentally prepare for," He said, giving her a small smile. He was trying not to think about it, but it was going to be hard enough to be away from Alice all year once she graduated, he wasn't about to give up extra time with her this year just because he was scared of half her family. Maybe two thirds.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice saw that Elliot was a bit nervous, but the way he played with her hair made her relax a little. She was certain that even if he didn't want to come to her house, it wasn't because of her. Alice wasn't entirely sure what Diana had said to him in the past, but she could imagine. Though she was still relieved when he said he did want to come and that he wanted to see her. "Well, my mother probably." She said with a smile. "Who is way less intimidating than you'd think, I promise. And my dad, but he's even less scary." She said. "And I'm sure Lucy will adore you, and her opinion matters the most to me." She then joked lightly, smiling fondly at the memory of her little sister. She was already sad, thinking of how much she would have grown again the next time she saw her. "But we should definitely also have some time to ourselves. A date, somewhere. I could meet you after work in Obsidian sometime?" She paused. "Assuming you have to work over the break."

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot couldn't help but let out a snort when Alice insisted her mother wasn't that scary. "That's easy for you to say, she's your mom," He said, shaking his head fondly. Even if Claudia Holland wasn't his girlfriend's mother, Elliot would still be scared to meet her. "Well, as long as Lucy likes me.." He said, letting out another huff of amusement before tentatively leaning forward, just to rest his forehead against Alice's. "A date would be nice," He said, quieter with his face closer to hers. "I'll be back in the States for a bit, but we'll have time. I'll make time," He said, glancing down at Alice's lips. As nervous as all this talk of meeting families made him, Elliot still had to marvel how the world could fall away sometimes when he was with Alice. Even now, he'd almost forgotten they were here in the middle of the Great Hall, surrounded by other people. It was easy to think it was just them in their own little bubble, no parents or ministers or graduation ceremonies lurking around the corner.