Finding You

[Phoebe Holland]

- continued from here-

 

[Charlie Madison]

Despite Mum's assurances that she only wanted Charlie to wear things she was comfortable in, Charlie had chosen simply not to attend the Yule Ball last year. It was too crowded and noisy anyway, and there wasn't really much to do if you didn't have anyone to dance with. Emily had absolutely insisted Charlie come with her this year though, and Charlie felt like she had a fairly strong idea of why. As much as she did owe her younger sister for helping her make friends in the past, Emily's initial attempts to introduce Charlie to people always made her feel nervous and unsettled. At least she had an outfit she could be more comfortable in this year. Thankful for the small mercy, Charlie let her sister lead her through the crowd, wondering how Emily had managed to make friends Charlie's age at Hogwarts so fast, and what kind of person she would be introducing her to. Emily usually had a good eye for the kind of people Charlie would be comfortable around, and was good at making her open up enough to make friends, but it was difficult to know what to expect.

Charlie was surprised, and then surprised that she had been surprised, when they approached the girls Charlie recognised from the fort she had helped Emily build at the start of the year. Of course Emily had noticed her and the older girl talking. Why hadn't she expected this all along? What Charlie wasn't expecting at all though, was for Emily to be whisked away immediately after introductions? Charlie gave her younger sister a questioning look that went completely ignored as her sister was dragged away. Emily had never left her alone with a prospective friend before, and part of Charlie wished she would stay and chat like she had when they were kids, another part was glad that Emily apparently respected her ability to make her own friends at least somewhat now that she had survived two years of school alone, and a third part of her was embarrassed to have her younger sister doing so much to help her out of her shell like this. There wasn't time to dwell though, and Charlie did her best to focus on the situation at hand, nodding in response to Phoebe's greeting. "Nice to see you too..." She said awkwardly, putting her hands in her pockets and shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. She was surprised when Phoebe recognised it as a set up too, laughing awkwardly. "Oh, uh, this was probably Emily's idea, she's... she likes to meddle." She smiled awkwardly, scrambling in her mind for something, anything to say. "You, uh... you like dances?" Charlie said, trying not to let her nervousness show. Maybe Phoebe was as uncomfortable in this setting as she was.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe smoothed one hand down the dress she was wearing, wondering if the other girl had any sort of opinion on it. The Gryffindor seemed to have a pretty good sense of style, while Phoebe was just wearing a hand-me-down from Rose. She had thought it pretty nice until now, but she wouldn't show her uncertainty now. She kept her back straight and her smile on her face as she looked at the younger girl. Her eyebrows raised slightly when she said it was probably her sister's idea, and she cracked a grin. "Alice is like, the queen of meddling too. Maybe we should separate them while we still can, they seem like a dangerous combination." She said with a glance over at the two girls. They were standing not too far away, and Alice seemed to be trying very hard not to look as if she'd been looking at them. Her sister really needed to learn to be subtle, or her plans would get her in trouble in the future. The question made her shrug and tilt her head slightly. "A bit, I skip them sometimes." She said with a shrug. "Usually when I have something more interesting to do. The castle is quite empty during these nights, perfect for hatching plans or exploring." The girl was a Gryffindor, so it wasn't too big of a leap to assume maybe she wasn't too concerned about rules. "But I like them well enough. They usually have nice food. And now I have nice company too." She wasn't quite sure how to flirt, but she tried her best to convey the message by looking into Charlie's eyes at the last statement. She had gotten Oswald to like her a while back, but that was a complete accident and had ended in a very awkward conversation. She had no idea how to do the same thing on purpose with a cute girl. But not knowing how to do something had never stopped Phoebe from trying. "How about yourself? I love your outfit, by the way. It's striking."

 

[Charlie Madison]

Charlie laughed slightly at the older girl's comment, nodding. "They're obviously already scheming..." She commented, glancing off in the direction Emily and Alice had headed. Charlie really didn't like that Emily had abandoned her in this situation - she knew how difficult Charlie found conversation with strangers. Phoebe was talking again though, and Charlie listened in relief, nodding. "Oh, same, I didn't go last year." She commented, relieved that Phoebe wasn't the kind of person who found such loud social events the be-all and end-all of the calendar. She listened to the girl talking about her other plans, wondering what kind of things Phoebe got up to while everyone else was preoccupied. Charlie was taken aback by Phoebe's last comment, and she felt her face heat up as Phoebe's eyes met hers, laughing nervously. What... was she supposed to say to that? It felt like there was more meaning behind Phoebe's words, but she had never been flirted with before, and didn't know how to react. She was relieved when Phoebe continued to talk, smiling awkwardly. "Uh, thanks. Your dress is, uh... pretty too." She said awkwardly, trying not to fidget. "But yeah, I don't know if dances are like, my thing really. I just, like, Emily wanted me to come, so..." She shrugged nervously, glancing at the dancefloor. Was she supposed to ask Phoebe to dance?

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe sighed dramatically, giving the two younger girls a skeptical look. "You're right, it's way too late. The world is doomed." She said wryly, shaking her head and focusing on the girl again. She seemed relieved Phoebe wasn't too into dances. "I went last year, but not to the Valentine's dance." She said with a small shrug. "Do you think you'll go to that this year?" She tried to be casual about it, but she couldn't help hope to run into the girl again. But if dances weren't her thing, maybe it would be easier to meet her in some other setting. "Thanks." She said as the girl complimented her dress. "I know how sisters are, Alice pleaded with me to come too. And I got the dress from my older sister." Charlie would have seen the small army of Holland sisters at the set-up of the firstie meeting, so she didn't elaborate. "So if dances aren't your thing, what is your thing?" She asked with a grin. "Maybe we can combine it with a dance so it'll be more fun."