Jealousy and Dancing: not the best mix

[November Albertson]

November walked into the Great Hall alone that evening. Last year she had gone with Flavio but this year she hadn't had the courage to ask him again and was sure that he was going with someone else anyways. He was really the only guy friend she would want to ask even factoring out the fact she had a major crush on the boy. She wore a yellow dress, her favorite color and her house color this year. The Hufflepuff hadn't stayed for very long in the dorms when she was getting ready, the tension in there was too much for her to bare for long. She managed to put on a little bit of makeup and left her hair down and natural. She knew others in her year were going to be doing more with their hair and makeup but November wasn't that sort of girl anyways. Plus with the one guy she wanted to be there with dancing with another she was fine with standing by as a wallflower for the evening. She found the room beautifully decorated, it was one thing she truly appreciated about magic, easy to use to decorate large rooms. Music was being played and the Headmistress's speech was rather short and then everyone seemed to start going about with what they pleased to do. November wasn't really sure what she wanted to do. While she wanted to find her friends she knew Amber might also be there and she preferred to not be around that girl for the rest of the evening. She was tempted to head back to the common room late and sleep on a couch in her dress to avoid Amber. November grabbed a drink and look around the room wondering if she'd spot anyone she knew in the crowd hanging back from the dance floor.
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[Matthew Harper]

Matthew always felt out of place at dances like this. The students in his year generally had a partner to go with, and he didn't. So he just felt like the awkward new kid even when he'd been here for more than a year now. As always, his mind went to Leah. They would have had fun at this event together, just talking and eating candy. Nothing necessarily romantic, though he couldn't help but hope. After their last conversation, however, his hope was pretty low. She hadn't even reacted to his obvious hints that he liked her, and he had taken it a polite rejection. Things hadn't been the same between them since their kiss, which was nearly a year ago now. As much as he had enjoyed the moment, he couldn't help but regret it now.

He felt quite desperate for a friendly face as he wandered the great hall, not wishing to be awkward and alone at the drinks table once more. So when he spotted November, he felt relief. He headed over to her with a smile. "Hey, I see you're all about the house pride today." He said, nodding at her dress. He himself had barely put any effort into his outfit, as he didn't see a point in it tonight.

 

[November Albertson]

Hearing a familiar voice put the Hufflepuff at ease though it wasn't the voice she wished to be hearing. Turning she saw Matthew dressed with a nice jacket and button down shirt. She offered him a smile and nod about her house color wearing. Her grey shoes also went well with their house theme, she hadn't realized it when she had picked the dress out last August to bring with her for the dance. "I could say the same for you," she said picking up the bottom of his tie to hold up in both their views, the little golden-yellow stripes bright in comparison to the rest of his outfit. It made her laugh a little when she realized he wasn't wearing matching pants or shoes to the top half of his outfit. But she decided against commenting on that, after all she only had to thrown on a dress and shoes, just two simple things whereas men had to pair more pieced together for an outfit. Looking him over again she didn't spot his camera. "Didn't bring your camera?" She asked wondering if he just had it in one of the pockets of her pants or something. She thought the Great Hall looked wonderful during the Yule Ball, great for photo opportunities for his collection of the castle and people here. She hoped one day she might be good enough friends with him for him to want to send of photo of her to his friends at his old school. She had seen a few of his photos of people and thought they were pretty neat.
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[Matthew Harper]

He was glad to see that November didn't mind being interrupted by him, but when she looked at his outfit he started to feel a bit odd about it for the first time. He really had just assembled something until it looked somewhat-semi-formal, and now he wondered if he would get an unflattering description in the next edition of Hogwarts Monthly.

Thankfully the girl he was talking to now didn't seem to mind too much, as she quickly focused on his camera. He knew he tended to bring it everywhere he went, so didn't much mind that the girl seemed to associate him with it. "I didn't bring it, no." He confessed with a shrug. "I was afraid I would be taken for an official photographer, like for the paper or yearbook. I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone." He'd had a vision of having to explain over and over that he wasn't there to take pictures for anything official, and had decided to leave his camera in his dorm for once. "You look nice." He offered as almost an afterthought, as he thought it was only polite to say. "Are you here alone?" It seemed that way, but it was possible she was with someone that had just wandered off to get drinks. Wait, no, she was holding a drink. He grimaced, hoping his question hadn't made things awkward. "I mean, so am I. Nothing odd about it." He added quickly.

 

[November Albertson]

November nodded as she picked up a cup of pumpkin juice from the table nearby listening to her friend explain why he hadn't brought his camera. This was a different side of him tonight she decided, the one that wouldn't be standing behind his photography she was interested in getting to know more about it as the evening went on. She glanced around and spotted Amber in the crowd, she really did stand out in her dress, November hadn't gone first year so she didn't know this was the second time Amber wore that style dress. It made her wonder if other people would like it, November did have to admit it was a lot nicer to see instead of all the girls with lower cut dresses on the top and high cut skirts on the bottom. "That makes sense, have you already gotten photos of the Great Hall like this last year? I think the Great Hall looks so pretty with the snow falling down, makes one really love magic for a moment. Before, ya know, going back to classes and studying and disliking that aspect, though I do like learning now," November realized she was rambling. She didn't mean to, Matthew was easy to talk to, though she still wasn't too sure why that was.

Looking around she saw Flavio dancing with his date, a blonde girl like herself, but November didn't really know who it was, she was sure the girl wasn't in their year which surprised November. "Oh, thanks," she said with a smile glancing down at her yellow dress. She didn't expect him to say anything like that, she hadn't really thought too much about her appearance before coming as her dorm-mate took control of the good mirror most of the evening. "No, last year I asked a friend but I was hoping, no I guess I didn't have much reason to hope anyone would ask me," she said looking off across the room. "I just mean, I don't really talk to that many people, so the pool of who would possibly ask me is very low, I was hoping to run into a friend. I guess I did," she said not in a sad way just an understanding way knowing how life worked, at the end she raised her hands towards Matthew with a smile on her face hoping she was right about them being friends.
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[Matthew Harper]

Matthew noticed that November was looking at a girl he didn't know, and wondered if the girl was her friend that she would rather be talking with. Matthew shook his head. "I didn't take any pictures last year either. Maybe I'll finally do it next year, as it will be my final chance to have one of the decorated hall." He smiled. "I like the classes here too, for the most part. It helps that you get to pick what you want to take. What is your favorite?" He asked her, he wanted to keep the conversation going, he enjoyed talking to November.

Her gaze wandered again and he tried to follow it, wondering what was distracting her. He grimaced when she said she had hoped someone would ask her but they hadn't. He shouldn't have asked. He hadn't wanted to make it awkward. "Not being asked isn't a reflection of you, necessarily. Maybe someone wanted to and was too shy." He smiled encouragingly. "Or you could ask someone, you don't have to wait." He hoped his advice didn't make her uncomfortable, but in his experience it was better to be open instead of waiting for things to happen. "But I'm happy to keep you company this year." He said with a smile. "I was hoping to run into a friend too. The only person I would want to ask as a date... isn't here." He didn't want to go into detail, but she had opened up to him so it was only fair for him to do the same.

 

[November Albertson]

November looked at Matthew glad someone was talking to her, she was sure the other girls from her dorm would more than likely take Amber's side of things. She thought her and Ainsley could be good friends but that girl was Amber's closest friend in the dorm it seemed so she didn't have much luck there. She was surprised he hadn't taken photos last year either, maybe she just caught him on a day he was feeling in the mood for photography, the teen had to admit not everyone was as into their hobbies as she was her own, which would be reading. "I'm sure you could always get some last minute pictures too, when they are starting to kick people out, if you wanted one of just the hall decorated. But, it looks quite nice with all the people in here and the musicians I think," she said looking around before looking back up towards the older Hufflepuff. She thought it odd he changed the subject, but maybe photography discussion was done with for the evening now. "Oh I'm really like Her-, Care of Magical Creatures and Arthimancy," she replied to the older boy. She had to remember her fault in Herbology and take the course out of her favorites, after all Amber wasn't too far away and she didn't want to start another glare off here in the Great Hall. "Yourself? What classes are you taking for your final years? I haven't really narrowed down my classes much, unfortunately," she said knowing she was taking more than she probably should for her classes, but it didn't feel as too much an overload for herself.

November had to really stop herself from glancing towards Flavio and his own date. The girl he was with was really pretty and she knew she would hardly compare to that. Amber was right to say she was simple and the simple look suited her. November felt very much a plain-Jane in a school filled with beauties like Flavio's date and Noemie Vanity. "Oh, I know. But, I guess sometimes you can't help but hope a little right? But, I don't think anyone wanted to ask me anyways." She said not letting the way things happened really bother her. She was lucky enough to be Flavio's friend and while she might wish for more she knew her hope wasn't rooted in much at the moment. She gave a smile in return to Matthew glad he was trying to a nice person to her, it showed a lot about his character. "Oh," she said hearing his story about who he'd want to ask. She hadn't even realized as a boy he might have a crush on someone. November wasn't sure what he meant about the person not being there, if they decided to not come to the ball or if they were from his old school maybe. "Would you like to dance?" She asked turning to him glad the music was upbeat, she wouldn't ask if it was a slow dance, that would be too awkward for her. She thought it might be a good way to distract themselves from their lack of love lives, to just jump up and down with a new friend. "We don't have to, I just thought we are both here, we might as well dance at least one song so we can say we didn't sit on the side lines all night," she offered unsure how he would respond. He was nice but it didn't mean he would dance with her. November's hands felt a bit clammy as she held them together nervously in front of herself waiting for his answer. This was almost as bad as it had been when she asked Flavio to attend the ball with her last year.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio did not attend the yule ball that night expecting to interact with his Hufflepuff friends. After all the drama between them ensuing he instead wanted to spend his night with Abby, catching up with her on the happenings of their semesters and having fun night as far away from the drama as he could possibly get. And the night did turn out to be fun, talking to a friend withdrawn from the situation had been a welcome change and the lack of worry of his actions causing problems was a weight lifted from his shoulders. Or it had been a welcome change and a burden lifted until a decision to part ways with Abby for a little while lead Flavio to visit the drinks table, causing him feel temptation to speak to November when he eventually spotted her in a different part of the hall. He began to make his way over to his friend, telling himself a simple greeting and compliment on her stunning dress would suffice, though he paused when he noticed she was talking to an older boy.

At first Flavio chose to ignore it, deciding to turn back around and mind his own business, refusing to get in the middle of the problem he told himself to avoid. But after a moment of deliberation to whether it was smarter to leave his friend alone or go and speak to her he decided that not saying hello would be rude considering she was the only one of his other friends he had seen that night. When he approached November he then overheard her asking the boy to dance and Flavio was happy with his decision to talk to her, using that opportunity to interrupt and capture his friend's attention. After clearing his throat to make his presence known, he looked to November and said "How about you dance with me, instead?" while he held his hand out for November to take it. He wasn't sure if November would accept his offer but did know that not asking would leave him with a series of 'what ifs' clouding his mind for the rest of the night and likely the entire summer break.​

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[November Albertson]

November was glad to have a fellow Hufflepuff by her side for at least part of the evening. She didn't think he'd want to stand around or be with her the entire night. If a friend in his year showed up he might wander off and talk with them. Being nice she figured he might offer for her to join their conversation but she wouldn't, she found some of the older students extremely hard to get along with and talk to. Well, that was just November she found a lot of people hard to talk to because she never knew what to say really. Smiling up at the Hufflepuff she waited for his answer, nervous because she was asking a guy to dance but also not as nervous as she'd be asking another person. Even if he turned her down she wouldn't feel bad about it, they could continue standing and talking if he wanted or go their separate ways. What did surprise her was how sudden Flavio turned up. She was taken back by his offer and hand and could feel her heart beating faster and her stomach turning like she was excited but also could throw up. She hadn't thought he was going to be separate from his date that evening to speak with her. She took a sip of her cold pumpkin juice as a way to get out of answering him for a moment so she could think. There wasn't any harm in a dance with him, obviously he wouldn't have done it without his date also being taken care of, maybe she was already dancing with another boy. Maybe Flavio was going to use herself to make the other girl jealous. November almost didn't care if he was, they were friends after all, he should be happy and she could help him it didn't matter what her own feelings might be for the boy. The cold liquid in mouth left a refreshing tang of pumpkin and apple in her mouth after she swallowed and a fresh start to a new conversation. Glancing up towards the older Hufflepuff she was surprised Flavio didn't want to meet him or join their conversation. It was all a bit sudden, for all Flavio knew Matthew could be her date and it'd be rude to just walk away from him like that. Matthew wasn't and she was sure Flavio already knew that but she was sorry to just leave their conversation. "Oh! I....uhm, I guess that might be alright, maybe we can talk about classes another time Matthew?" She said as she placed her hand lightly in Flavio's. Even though she was looking up towards the Hufflepuff, November could feel a pulse running up her arm to the rest of her body from the moment her hand touched Flavio's. Her head turning her eyes locked to dark brown eyes staring back.

November followed Flavio out into the dancing area and was suddenly feeling uneasy about the situation. The last thing she might need would be Amber to pop in and give another remark about who might distract her in classes and crushes. The song was upbeat and she was glad it meant she did not need to be touching Flavio much which sent her senses crazy as everything focused on where his hand touched hers and how nice it felt. She tried to push out all the silly dreams she had about them walking around the castle grounds holding hands like they did as he pulled her onto the dance floor. She smiled when he smiled and didn't mind not talking with him, as the teen didn't care to know much about his real date to the ball. And the only thing worth talking about in her life were exams and her fight with Amber earlier in the evening, neither of which she wanted to discuss here and now with Flavio while they were dancing. November tried to focus on the music and lyrics and moving to the same beat the drums were tapping out but she hadn't ever really been to dance classes as a kid and as a muggleborn had no influence of what the wizard world thought were dance moves so she felt at odds on the dance floor unsure what to really do. Was it weird for her to think he also smelled fairly nicely as well? Probably, but she tried to follow along with Flavio's moves but mostly just ended up bouncing up and down and waving her arms a little. November laughed a little thinking how crazy she must look, but she had to admit Flavio looked very cool in his dapper jacket and dance moves. She was just beginning to enjoy herself and forget about worrying how she might look to others when the pace of the music changed. A couple's dance was starting and she couldn't help but glance around thinking Flavio's date might be looking for him. She stood in the middle of the dance floor thinking of how sad it was her time with Flavio was going to be cut quite short and looking to him for what she should do. Mostly how to escape the couples surrounding them all with googily eyes for their partners.

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[Matthew Harper]

Matthew shrugged at her suggestion of taking photos when the ball was nearly over. Maybe he could do that next year. He smiled at her when she listed her favorite subjects. "I quite like Care of Magical Creatures too, as well as Muggle Studies." He told her with a shrug."I'm taking those, along with a few others like Potions and History. I'm afraid I can't really help, I didn't pick that carefully." It was something he avoided thinking about too much, he wasn't quite ready to graduate in less than two years.

He shrugged and nodded when she said she could hope a little. It was starting to be a little awkward, and he wasn't sure what to say now. He was even more startled by her question to dance, as he hadn't expected it. He wasn't a big fan of dancing, or very graceful at it, so he would rather not. But before he could think how to carefully turn her down, another boy did it for him. He was surprised by how abruptly he cut in, and the fact that the boy didn't seem to even acknowledge his presence. But at least November seemed happy with the offer, as she immediately took his hand. He smiled. "Sure, have fun." Then he turned to the snack table, he would just eat some more cookies before heading back to the dormitory.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber hated how she wasn't having a good night. Her fight with November in the dormitory had soured her mood, and all of her friends seemed to be paired up. The only hope she held out was to find Ainsley, but she hadn't spotted her friend yet. Even her usual enjoyment in looking pretty wasn't a comfort, as she now felt weird about it thanks to November and her points comments. She didn't want to look shallow and stupid, especially not to their professors. She was standing near one of the smaller tables, sipping a drink while scanning the crowd. Evelyn looked stunning with her boyfriend, and she wasn't sure if it would be okay to join them or not. Then she spotted November and rolled her eyes in the privacy of her single table. She was talking to some boy, and Amber snorted. Seemed like the whole idea of dressing up just for a boy did work, who knew? She had no interest in a date right now. What she wanted most was to have fun with one of her friends.

She noticed Flavio move away from his date and wondered if she should try to see if he wanted her company. But that answer was soon clear as he made a beeline for November. She wasn't jealous, not in the way Evelyn had implied. She didn't like Flavio that way. But she was annoyed. Annoyed that this girl, who was so mean and underhanded, managed to have him as a friend. And maybe even more. At the end of the night, November would be floating from happiness, and Amber would probably still be at a table by herself. It wouldn't surprise her if Ainsley was avoiding her, maybe she didn't want to hang out anymore after what happened last year.

With a sigh and a scowl, she put down her cup and turned away from the dance floor. She would walk around, find someone to talk to. She didn't look this beautiful just to spend the entire evening glaring at some girl who wasn't worth the trouble. Maybe Evelyn would want to introduce her to Noah, after all.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio understood his interruption was sudden and likely unwelcomed as November seemed to be content in talking with the older boy. Though he did not understand when November didn't immediately respond, neither accepting nor rejecting his offer instead choosing to sip from her drink while he waited in anticipation. He was simply asking his friend to dance with him. Not something that should have been nerve wracking or a difficult decision on November's part. But much like his decision to speak to her that night despite telling himself to avoid his Hufflepuff friends, and the fact the interaction was indeed nerve wracking for him, causing his heart to feel as if it was going to beat out of his chest, he did not understand it either. Really the entire night was confusing for him, more so as he waited for November to respond to him in that moment over everything else. But after what felt like a lifetime November did eventually put her hand in his, putting his nerves to rest as she uttered a quick goodbye to the boy she had been talking to while Flavio lead her the dance floor.

He had not realized how tense his shoulders became until he started moving to the music, hand still intertwined with November's. As he danced, trying to keep to the beat of the music, the tension that was there started to fade away to be met with feeling comfortable and familiar as he should around someone that was his friend. It was the sort of fun he hoped to have that night, refreshing after a stressful set of exams and relaxing in the sense it was easy to just dance with November without worrying about Amber's reaction or their school work. Flavio even managed to smile though it soon disappeared as the upbeat song switched to something slower. In the moment the song changed he considered his options, wondering if he should leave, although then deciding that dancing to one slow song in the course of the night wouldn't do them any harm. He tightened his grip on November's hand, pulling her closer to him in a swift movement. His free hand moved to her back as he moved to hold their intertwined hands to one side, assuming November would place her hand on his shoulder and continue to dance with him. "It's convenient a slow song had to start, didn't it?" Flavio said, attempting to make light of the situation as he swayed their bodies along to the slower paced music.​

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[November Albertson]

November hadn't meant to be rude to either boy but she was very glad to be on the dance floor with Flavio. Obviously it was a dream come true and for a moment she almost wished she had spent more time on her hair and makeup like Amber. But she really didn't know what to do so she probably would have looked terrible. November was rather uncertain as they danced, Flavio hadn't let go of her hand and she didn't want him to. But it meant she tried her best to not let her hands get clammy on him, but she was nervous. At first she wanted to look anywhere but at him and she spotted Amber moving around the hall, her emotions were brought back to earth as she wondered why Flavio hadn't sought Amber out instead of herself. A slow song started and suddenly Flavio had pulled her in close to him. Her face was surely bright red as she looked up to the Ravenclaw with doe like eyes as if being caught in the middle of a road by a car. November carefully moved her hand to his shoulder as he spoke about the song. Her eyebrows furrowed not really understanding why it had been convenient. "What do you mean?" She asked him as she glanced up towards his face before looking back down at her hand on his shoulder as it was eye level for her. She swayed back and forth with him not believing all her silly thoughts about the ball were coming true. As the days lead up to the ball she often had pictured her and Flavio on the dance floor like this, but in those thoughts she had always found it easier to laugh and smile with him than she was being now.

November did smile though, they were friends and there wasn't anything wrong with them sharing this dance, the first song had been too short she figured. Clearing her throat November hardly noticed the dozen other couples standing around them or the people even further back not dancing during the song. Her mind was focused on his hand intertwining with her own and the emotions it was causing her to feel. As the dance ended she did end up pulling away. She knew she couldn't keep him all night and to be honest she was afraid she might tell him how she really felt about him and embarrass herself if she stayed with him any longer. "Thanks for the dance, Duckie," she said giving him a light punch tap on his shoulder. She smiled and glanced around, the ball had turned out pretty great in her opinion. It was in her glancing around she noticed that mistletoe was hung around the room and where they ended was underneath one. She heard a comment by an older student not too far away about how Flavio should kiss her. Her heart was beating faster now, she wasn't sure Flavio even knew about the tradition of mistletoe, she didn't think anything bad would happen if there wasn't a kiss. Being the awkward duck herself November held up her hand towards Flavio with a nervous smile. They couldn't possibly kiss on the lips, it would be her first kiss and while she would love it to be with Flavio she'd have all break worrying about such a thing. Without knowing it she ended up biting her bottom lip as she waited as it was just one her habits she often did not knowingly. Hand would be fine for her, just to say goodnight anyways.
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