Closed Gathering of Sorts

[Isabella Romanes]

Trying to be somewhat of a 'welcoming mother', Isabella Howard set a date for when her oldest would have a good gathering with herself and Derrick, along with their current partners. She managed to send her youngest three, with the younger set of twins heading to the school the following year, over to Ostensia's house for the evening. Leaving Lorena was still a bit hard for Isabella, but she managed somehow. Her youngest was not even two yet. She waved her wand and the table was set. Their house was rather nice, given their families' background, even with the Howard side. They might have been super rich, but they lived very comfortably. The candles were lit, and floating all around, while Isabella wore a simple, elegant eggshell white dress. She also had her hair tied back with a clip, which was hidden. Her magenta eyes looked to her dear husband and she smiled warmly, "I hope that work doesn't have you in a bad mood."​

 

[Derrick Howard]

Derrick ran his fingers through his hair for what seemed like the millionth time today. He wasn't exactly nervous so much as hopeful that things would go smoothly. Cordelia had a tendency to get herself into trouble somehow when it came to family gatherings, whether she was in a mood and refused to come down, or she was picking a fight with Elia over something trivial. He knew the pair loved each other, but when he had first met them, he could have been forgiven for thinking otherwise. It had been incredibly hard to see in the first instance for sure. He looked over to his wife, the love of his life, as she spoke and chuckled lightly. "Even if it does, coming home to you each time lifts my spirits greatly, my love," he said, said, wrapping his arm around her to rest lightly on her waist and pull her in to kiss her. "I care very little for the squabbles of my colleagues and they don't ever seem to believe that I've nothing to complain about when it comes to you," he added, giving the area they'd designated for this get together another once over. "Of course, none of them have ever had the pleasure of calling you their wife, so I suppose I pity them." He grinned, cheekily moving his hand to untuck a strand of her perfectly placed hair. "Lighten up a touch, dearest, this does not have to be such a formal event."​

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana nervously adjusted her hair again, for what seemed like the thousandth time and checked her makeup in her compact. She looked nice, she knew it, but she wasn't sure if that would be enough for tonight. She had taken a lot of care with her outfit as well, eventually settling on a simple blue dress. She didn't know if it was fitting for the occasion or not, as she wasn't entirely sure how formal this dinner would be. She knew Cole would tell her not to worry, but she was worried anyway. Meeting his mother at graduation hadn't been bad, but... she couldn't get Elia's words out of her head. It frustrated her that the girl had gotten to her, but she couldn't deny it. And there was Cole's step-father and other sister. They were both unknown variables to Diana. She vaguely remembered Cole mentioning that his mother's husband was prejudiced, at least... she thought so. His explanation had been a little confusing. Diana was not a pureblood by any means, and she wondered if that would count against her at all. He remembered him saying his mother didn't care about status, but that didn't mean she would necessarily like Diana. With her own mother running on a very pro-muggle platform, Diana worried a little she would be asked questions about that. Though maybe that was her own prejudice? She hadn't ever been close to anyone part of a big pureblood family before Cole, and had no idea what to expect. She took a deep breath and squeezed Cole's hand as they stepped into the house, taking it all in quietly. She admired the house, it was nice. Diana spotted Cole's mother, and blushed as she saw the romantic moment they had walked in on. This was presumably Cole's step-father. Diana felt oddly shy, which was a new sensation to her. She glanced at Cole, waiting for him to say something. She was being more cautious than normal, but this was new territory to her.

 

[Cole Dragonov]

Cole Dragonov tried out in a few American Quidditch teams but had yet to hear back from any of them. But it had only been a few days at most. Arriving home, with his girlfriend in hand, Cole opened the door to his house. As soon as they entered, he noticed his mother and stepdad kissing in the dining room. He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Elia and Baltair here yet? And why is mom all fancy looking? This isn't a family reunion with uncle Collineus."​