Literal Ray of Sunshine

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire hadn't planned to come to the Halloween feast this year, considering the mess of the last one, she just hadn't wanted to come to this one. She hadn't wanted to waste her time with it, but the girl, as a prefect felt it was almost her duty to be at this, so after much tossing around different ideas, and had eventually settled on something very simple, she had used magic to finish her costume, but she was dressed up as the sun, using the levitation charm to have the sort of sun ray to be floating around her dress. It took a lot of concentration, but it seemed to be working, she'd matched this was a simple yellow dress which suited her pale skin and the blonde hair. She looked very yellow, but she guessed this was sort of the point. She grinned to herself as she looked in the mirror. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad? It at the very least couldn't be as bad as the last halloween, she was set on avoiding Lucien if she could.

As soon as Victoire had stood in front of the doors to the great hall, she figured this was perhaps a really terrible idea, despite the effort which had gone into this costume. What if the same thing happened again? What if she ran into either of them, even Jean. Victoire had been avoiding Jean for the most part of the semester, ever since the article in the Hogwarts Monthly had said that one of them liked the other, it had been awkward. Victoire didn't know how she felt about him any more, she didn't want to try to figure out if this meant he liked her, what it had meant, and if she ran into him, she was sure it would probably be on the back of her mind as well as his. It was annoying too, because she honestly missed spending time with him, they had been good friends before all of this had made it difficult for them to even be that. However, she couldn't let that affect her night, and if she ended up meeting him, Victoire would be polite to him, maybe they could rekindle their friendship. Instead, she wandered into the hall and began glancing about trying to see if she could spot Alex, or even Perseas, just anyone to spend this time with. Victoire stopped at the drinks table closest to her and just looked out at the hall.
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[Jean Snow]

Jean had gone back and forth about whether or not to attend the Halloween Feast at all. Everything had gone so poorly yesterday, and he’d put so much effort into trying to plan something fun. When it had all backfired on him, Jean had vowed to never attend another Halloween party at the school. But, as October had gone by, and the decorations kept appearing around the castle, Jean had become more excited about his favorite holiday. Being able to be something different from his normal self was part of the fun of Halloween, especially for him. So, he had come up with a quick costume, a dementor. It wasn’t hard to get together. He just needed to purchase an overly large hooded robe. By the time he’d finished cutting them, the boy had what looked like a dementor costume, at least to him. When he moved, the sheet billowed around his ankles, so the teen had decided to wear black slacks and shoes so that no one would be able to see his feet. And, the hood was so large that the boy wasn’t too concerned about anyone seeing his face. The feast was usually pretty dark, so he was sure that between his large hood and the shadows, he’d be fine.

Standing by the drinks table, Jean was completely distracted by two girls in front of him. One was a teammate, Skye, and he was just about to say hello to her when he realized that she was pretty engaged in conversation with someone else, a fellow prefect. He couldn’t remember her name, but she was pretty. Tonight was no different. Her outfit was…something. Both of theirs were. Grabbing a drink from the table, Jean lifted it to his lips as he slowly backed away. The taste of butterbeer filled his throat as he took another step back and banged right into someone. The teenager whipped around quickly, an apology on his tongue until he spotted who he had banged into. It was Victoire. Jean had been avoiding her for a while now, which wasn’t an easy feat considering they shared nearly all of their classes as well as their house and prefect status. She shone brightly, and Jean was worried that she might be able to guess his identity through his costume so he lowered his head some more. “Sorry” he whispered, though he made no effort to move away. Jean had always loved Halloween, but after seeing how the girls of the castle looked tonight, he was beginning to love it for different reasons.

Out of Character:

Couldn't help myself. I hope the godmod is ok. Let me know if it isn't.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Not spotting anyone she knew, Victoire gathered was actually probably a good thing about Halloween, going as the sun was perhaps not the most Halloween type costume but she was feeling pretty good about the costume regardless, it matched her blonde hair and it just made her feel better about everything really. Victoire could see her younger brother in his full costume, she couldn't help but smile at him, she had helped out putting together the outfit and thought her brother managed to look like quite the royal. She couldn't help but watch him, waving slightly at him as he spotted her, she would've gone to go talk to her brother but then she couldn't do that to him, this was his first Halloween and she couldn't be the one to make him spend time with her just because she couldn't find her friends. Instead Victoire just turned her attention to the rest of the hall, yet to even spot a sight of even Jean, or anyone she knew. Instead of doing anything else, she just downed the rest of the drink she had in her hand before putting down the glass and wiping her hands on a stray napkin.

Turning, the teen began to just walk the length of the hall, her attention briefly distracted by the slytherin Prefect who was dressed as what appeared to be a grey ghost, but when she noticed who it was and she remembered that he liked rocks, perhaps that was what he had dressed as. Victoire then ended up hitting right into someone, blonde hair strands flew a little every where as she stumbled a little in the yellow matching heels as she made sure she didn't fall, the girl spent a few moments fixing her hair and ensure her costume didn't look too strange and than nothing had actually fallen out of place. She smiled at the person in front of her as she noticed there was a person in front of her, the person, a boy she assumed was wearing a costume, a dementer type outfit, and she just smiled, "No problem," she replied with a bright smile, since it wasn't, there was no harm done, she couldn't really make out who is was, and though this bugged her a little she was almost a little glad, "That's a scary costume, I feel I've maybe missed the memo about being scary," she laughed lightly as she spoke, "Drink?" Victoire asked, briefly motioning towards the table with drinks, she had no one else to talk to and Victoire figured this guy was better than spending the night alone, or just search for her friends.
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[Jean Snow]

Jean listened to Victoire speak and his shoulders lifted and fell as he silently chuckled. Having looked around the room earlier, he knew she was right. People seemed to have collectively decided to go for the scary side of costumes this year. And then, there was Victoire, shining brightly amid the sea of dark costumes. It was enough to keep his attention, that was for sure. The teenager was surprised and, admittedly, a bit grateful that Victoire didn't recognize him. If she didn't, he didn't think many other people would. His siblings knew his costume, but they hardly bothered with him. Lucien might, but he was probably going to be busy trying to find somewhere to snog his girlfriend while the professors were all here. His brother wasn't that big of a Halloween fan. "No, you look...perfect" he added, blushing under his hood and hoping that the loud music and conversations would mask his voice just a little bit longer.

He knew they had to look funny standing next to each other. She was the light to his dementor costume. Anyone seeing them might think they'd come together, a planned pairing of costumes. That would have been impossible though since they hardly spoke anymore. Standing beside her, Jean couldn't believe he'd gone over a month without a real conversation with her. As Victoire offered him a drink, Jean held up his cup filled with butterbeer in reply. He lifted it, moving the cup under his hood to take another sip. He licked his lips nervously, knowing that at any moment, she would figure this out. Would she be mad at him for letting this play out a little longer?, Jean wasn't sure. "Do you dance?" he asked after a moment of standing beside her.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire smiled at the person who stood standing next to her, barely able to see his face but at his words she blushed deeply and smiled a thanks, she couldn't help but look down at the yellow dress and smooth out the bottoms with her hands when she did so. It was as she had listened to his voice for the first time that it seemed very much familiar, she could almost pinpoint who it was if he'd just said something more. She wasn't however sure about it, and Victoire hardly wanted to go around accusing people of being others when it wasn't going to be who she thought it might. Not being able to talk to Jean as much as she had before was difficult, and a part of Victoire wanted this person to be him, so that they might be forced to talk, but Victoire didn't know what she would say to him. Didn't know what he would say to her, didn't feel like she particularly wanted to know what he might say. Things had just been simpler when they had been just friends, younger with none of these teenage emotions or magazines saying that one had feelings for the other.

Offering the boy a drink had been the polite thing to do, a way to take her mind off it and a way to ensure her mind drifted away from the current issues of her life, so when he motioned to the drink in his hand she couldn't help but sigh a little. Was this the end of their conversation? However it appeared not, when he asked if she could dance, and there again, the voice that oh so familiar tone, the accent she'd come to know in the snippets of their conversations in English, though masked by the music and general buzz of the hall. Was this really Jean? If it was why was he hiding his face, why was he not just talking to her. Admittedly she was almost a little glad for the farce, maybe she could pretend that she hadn't realised, maybe they could have a night where things were a little different, where they weren't dodging each other or questions. Victoire decided then, that playing along with Jean (if this really was him) was the best idea, after all wasn't it the point of Halloween to not be ones self. She smiled at him and nodded, "Oui! Of course," she told him switching briefly to French, before impulsively taking his hand and leading him out to where others were dancing, "Leave the drink!" she told him with a smile. This would be a night to forget about everything else that had happened, providing this was actually who she thought it was, and just have a good time like they'd used to.
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[Jean Snow]

As she spoke to him in French, Jean closed his eyes briefly. He knew that she knew. Or did she? Jean opened his mouth to utter an explanation, probably to laugh it off. But, he still wasn't entirely sure that she knew. He didn't want to ruin this wonderful opportunity to possibly tell Victoire how he really felt about her without her knowing it was really Jean, her friend. If he could work up the nerve anyway. Then, she grabbed his hand and didn't that shut him up quickly. Their hands intertwined was more than enough to distract the fifth year boy from trying to figure out if she knew it was him or not. The Great Hall had felt stuffy before, the result of too many hormones and bodies and too few windows letting the cool night air in. Now, it was positively boiling. The boy took another large sip of his already lukewarm butterbeer and left it on a table as he'd been instructed.

Following the bright ray of sunshine onto the dance floor, Jean hoped that he remembered what he'd been taught before. He listened to the beat that was playing, a fast song, and began swaying to the beat. Soon enough, he was lost in the music, his worries momentarily pushed to the side as he just enjoyed moving his body. Jean was glad that he'd shortened the robes because, even now, people were stepping on them. He shifted them slightly, happy that the hood was so long that he wouldn't have to worry about it being pulled off. It would require a deliberate effort to remove it from his head. Jean didn't know how many songs had gone by, but he was still having fun with it. "You're a good dancer" he complimented Victoire, leaning slightly closer so she could hear him over the music. It was a skill he didn't know she had.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

With her hand in his, she felt a little strange, a small amount of nervousness about it, it felt like something she wanted to happen, she felt like she actually wanted this for herself and Jean. To be able to hold hands, and to just be able to be dating with none of the mess that was what their relationship had somehow become without them ever dating, gone were the days of them just hanging out as friends and talking quietly in French between one another. She really wanted this to be him, just so that if it was and nothing ever became of them, they might be able to share this evening, share one Halloween night. She watched him put down his drink and she led him out to the dance floor keeping a light grip on his hand as she did. Victoire had danced with boys before, there had been the time that she had gone to the Yuleball with Perseas, and they'd shared many dances so she was taking this opportunity to remember how they had once danced to do that again with the dementor. Although this was a little different from that situation, she kept her hand in his as they swayed to the fast paced music, dancing less crazily than the other students seemed to be, almost dancing as a couple might, the magical aspects of her costume moving with her.

As he leaned in closer after many songs, she'd lost track, Victoire blushed deeply, she heard his compliment and then again that voice, that oh so familiar voice, at this point she was completely certain this was Jean, but resolved to not admitting that she knew, she hardly wanted to ruin what had been such a lovely evening so far with whom she was sure was Jean. She smiled at his compliment, brushing strands of her blonde away from her face, the costume was still holding steady, and she was enjoying the contrast between her costume and his. The prefect was still moving to the music, a little less than before just to have been able to hear what he was saying, "You too," she returned with a small smile at him, leaning in so that he could hear her over the music, "And here I was, thinking that dementors couldn't dance," she joked with him, leaning out as the music died down to give way to something a little quieter, a slow song. Victoire glanced at the floor between them a little shyly, unsure as to if he would want to dance to this song, the fast songs were easy and they had managed to avoid anything too slow until now.

Victoire decided that tonight was the time to be bold, he didn't know that she knew, and they could just pretend they were two different people enjoying a night together, she decided to be the Gryffindor she technically was so she took his other hand and closed the gap between them slightly looking up with a small smile, swaying slowly with her body closer to his than before, if he didn't want to be this close all he had to do was step away, and Victoire would get that message, she just didn't want that to be the case.
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[Jean Snow]

Jean chuckled under his hood as he watched Victoire smile at the compliment he'd just given to her. This was nice, being able to just enjoy each other's company. It made Jean a bit sad that she didn't know it was him, and he resolved to let her know. He was a Gryffindor after all, and they were supposed to be brave and brash. Once more, Jean opened his mouth to admit his identity. Then, Victoire was complimenting him and joking around. "Hidden talent" Jean kidded back. The boy enjoyed dancing and was glad that he was apparently good at it. Jean knew that he'd missed his second opportunity though, especially as the quick music transitioned to a much slower one.

The seconds seemed to freeze as he and Victoire figured out what to do. Jean tapped a finger against his leg, urging him to get out of his head and make the move. Tonight of all nights, he knew he should take that leap. If nothing happened between them ever, he'd know that this night had happened. Before he could move first, Victoire was reaching for his hand and time seemed to move double as she took a step closer. Jean moved forward a step too and placed a trembling hand on her waist. He and Victoire had hugged before, but this night and this was different. He was sure it was all the magic in the air that was making this moment feel surreal. Whatever it was, Jean was going to enjoy it. His heart was beating quickly and probably loudly enough that she could hear it. After a quick stumble, Jean found the rhythm of this much slower dance and he took the lead. He moved silently, enjoying her company. It was easy to get lost in her costume and in the moment.

Standing this close, Jean could see just how much they'd both grown. There was a larger distance in their height these days. The blue eyes boy had cleared six feet over the break. Victoire's face looked just the same, but also prettier than he'd remembered it. Perhaps because he hadn't ever been this close. Clearing his throat, Jean knew that he couldn't let this third opportunity get away from him. The moment just felt right. He cleared his throat again and then spoke. "May I tell you something?" he began, very formally. His voice had deepened even more than it had been before, but it was still pretty much the same. The teenager took a deep breath, almost hoping she would shush him or the song would speed up again and force them to not speak. He'd take any excuse really, though a bigger part of him hoped that she'd just wait patiently for him to finish.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Dancing with him as it turned out was different than dancing with Perseas had been. It was strange, she and Jean had hugged before but this intimacy was different than anything they'd had before. She knew things had changed since the first time they'd met, he was taller, his voice deeper, and she was taller in her own right but had grown elsewhere those things were as clear as day. Victoire was coming into her own, as her mother liked to say, but this age and growth didn't help her understand this situation she was in. The way she felt towards him felt like a mystery even towards herself, Victoire didn't know how to get back to where she and he had once been, this was simple but it didn't help. It did make sense as they danced to let him take the lead, and she did like it, her boldness seemed to have paid off in that respect. He hadn't immediately pulled away and from the way he had moved closer she felt like he was interested in sharing this slow dance. The Gryffindor prefect couldn't help but just get lost in this moment, allow herself to be absorbed into the atmosphere they had created, would this actually just make things more difficult for them rather than how she imagined it might make things better. But none of that mattered as they danced it just flowed away with the music.

When he spoke again, speaking far more formally than before, saying that he wanted to tell her something her eyes looked away from him and to the ground between them letting her hair fall in front of her face, was he about to admit it was him, would this then end the night when she really didn't want it to end just yet. Things were suddenly simple and uncomplicated in a way for then, there was nothing to stop them spending the night dancing away to the music, alternating between closeness and a little distance depending on the tempo of the music. She wanted to tell him no, to just say no and let this night continue as it was currently going, but a part of Victoire wanted to know what he had to say. She was curious, she wanted to know what he wanted to tell her, she wanted to know so badly the reality of the Hogwarts monthly article that had mentioned them.

Victoire was at a loss over what path to take, over which to follow, her head begging to know which screamed far louder or her heart that just wanted to avoid any possible ache. Victoire looked up meeting where his gaze likely was still swaying slightly to the music, and her hand in his, his other on her waist and she looked at him, clearly giving him the affirmation to continue on what he wanted to say, hoping she would not regret this.
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[Jean Snow]

Jean's heart pounded. It was taking Victoire forever to give him a response. In those moments, the Gryffindor could feel his already faltering resolve disappearing. It'd be easy to just make a joke of this moment, say something funny after he'd started off so seriously. If the delivery was right, he might even get a laugh out of Victoire and then they could carry on as they had been. The possibility was there, and Jean was ever so tempted to take that lifeline and go with it. But, then she looked up. She still couldn't see his face through the shadows cast by the hood, but hers was clear to him. She was curious and giving him the opening to say what he wanted to. The Gryffindor kept them moving. It was easy enough now that they'd been dancing for a while. Their movements were in sync and just a slight touch, a slight move from the hand on her waist was enough for Victoire to know he meant to turn.

There was so much that Jean wanted to tell Victoire. Their friendship had been changing for a while now. If Jean had to pinpoint it, he knew that things had taken a turn at the last Halloween Feast when his brother had led them to have their first disagreement. She had forgiven him after a time, but Jean didn't think things had been the same since then. For his part, Jean had felt guilty at what his brother had done to her and angry on her behalf. But, in an odd way, he was grateful to his brother because that day had made Jean realize something else. In the moment before he'd joined the conversation and learned what they had truly discussed, Jean had been able to watch his brother with Victoire and his gut reaction had been a feeling he had grown used to when it came to his brother. Jealousy.

"Please don't be angry with me. When I saw you, I couldn't help myself. We haven't spoken all semester, and I've really, really wanted to speak to you. But, I've been" he paused now, considering the word. With a shrug, he continued, "afraid that you wouldn't want to talk to me...because of my brother, because of the article." Because I'm an idiot, he added silently. If she didn't know who she was talking to before, he knew she would now. "It's me, Jean. You already knew that though, right?" he confirmed, his hand tightening on her waist. He wasn't trying to hurt her, but he didn't want her to pull away. Not yet. He still had a little more to say. The song was drawing to an end, and Jean was afraid that the moment would be lost. It would be all too easy for her to draw away as a quick song took over the crowd around them.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

For the Gryffindor prefect in the moment she looked up at whom she was sure was Jean, all time seemed to just come to a standstill. Victoire could feel her heart in hammering in her chest, she could feel her nerves grow over what he might say, she didn't know what had really happened between them, just one thing after another and somehow their entire relationship had just fallen apart. This evening to her had felt like a glimpse of what it could be for them, of what it had once been, an easy time between two friends having fun. She didn't know how much she really wanted it, but her heart in that moment with him, with his hand in hers and his hand on her waist she couldn't help but really want something with them. Victoire didn't know what to say about it, she barely knew how she felt about it all, the feelings and emotions were just about everywhere when it came to him. The girl missed her friend a lot, she couldn't really imagine not being able to just sit with him in the common room with him with the same ease they'd used to have. She missed their friendship, and honestly a lot of the time Victoire felt like all of this was her fault, like she was to blame for the break down in their relationship. She didn't think Jean was at all like his slytherin brother but the last halloween but they had been hard to hear and had greatly confused Victoire. However that all being said, the Gryffindor prefect found a small smile gracing her lips, encouraging him to just say what he had wanted to say, curiosity clear and a desire to know if possible how he felt.

The moment he started speaking, Victoire knew it was him, the don't be angry with me, she knew how that felt, she could've just said the moment she'd realised it was him, but she hadn't, she had wanted this as much as Jean had. She couldn't help but agree with him, she had wanted to spend time with him, but Jean's brother and the article and her reluctance to deal with it was the fact they just didn't spend as much time together any more. She had been afraid to speak to him, incase he had laughed the article off so casually and she hadn't felt the same way. She was afraid that he did feel that way, that he told her as much, but then said that because of his brother that they couldn't be together, Victoire had been afraid of getting involved in something for it to only end in heartache, but perhaps it hadn't been the right thing to do. They'd just danced around the issue and it hadn't changed anything about it, it hadn't really changed anything at all. By the time he actually said it was him she just knew for certain, what he'd talked about, it had been clear to her it really was him. Her expression didn't harden, and she didn't appear angry about it, instead she just smiled at him and nodded slightly in answer, "I know what you sound like," she admitted, speaking quietly, switching to French as she spoke, "I could've said something when I realised, I" she didn't know how to say that she had wanted this too, she didn't feel that bold anymore, "I thought I might ruin this evening if I'd said I knew," Victoire didn't pull away from him, an unspoken, I missed you hung in the air. Victoire hadn't switched back to English at all when she spoke, nor did she really intend to, French had always been how they'd talked most of the time, in this moment she didn't think she'd manage to find the words in English. Her gaze never left his, and she waited for him to continue, Victoire wasn't sure what else he might have to add to this, but it felt like he hadn't quite finished speaking.
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[Jean Snow]

When she smiled, Jean felt his shoulders relax, tension loosening from them. He had been so afraid that she would be angry, so afraid that she'd pull away and rush to return to their more common avoidance of each other. After tonight, Jean knew that if that happened again, it would be more than he could handle. The Gryffindor hadn't quite realized how much he'd missed Victoire until he was in her presence again, talking with her and making her smile. It was what he'd missed most, and her general company of course. She spoke French, just like he did. As she began to speak, Jean blushed, grateful once more for the hood. She knew his voice! Of course! How could he have been so stupid to think that he could pretend to be someone else in front of someone he'd spent so much time with. His voice had deepened only slightly more than it had the previous year, and he still pronounced things the same, especially in his accented English. Her words surprised him. That she was worried about ruining the moment as much as he had been was eye-opening for the teenager. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd missed Victoire, and now he was reasonably certain that she was telling him in not-so-many words that she'd missed him too.

With a nod, Jean was happy to switch to French. " I was afraid of that too" he admitted sheepishly. "But, I realized I was more afraid of not saying anything and then waking up tomorrow and going back to us avoiding each other like this never happened" he added with a shrug. It was true. They had been avoiding each other. He didn't know how long this bravery was going to last, so he was going to go with it. That's what had pushed him. The thought of waking up on November 1st and Victoire not knowing that they'd had such a great time together was unbearable. "Do you think we can start hanging out again?" Jean asked in a nervous, hopeful tone. He hoped she would say yes, but he knew that there was just as much of a chance that she would say no. The past few hours had been fun, but the two Gryffindors still had to get through the issues that had led to their recent distance. It would have to start somewhere, and her willingness to hang out again would mean that she was as interested as he was in maybe figuring things out together. The last few notes of the song played and a faster one took its place. Jean looked down at Victoire, and though she couldn't see it, he was biting his lip in apprehension.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire wasn't sure where he would go with what he wanted to say, Victoire had known it was him, or had been sure of who it was when he'd started speaking, knowing him confirming who it was, the prefect wasn't sure where this might lead and at the end of the day Victoire would settle with being able to return to their friendship, to continue this night as it had been, just a time for them both to be themselves again, no fuss, no issues and just an understanding of the fun they could have. She smiled at him, happier when he too switched to French as it was just the easier language for them both, Victoire was just pleased that she didn't have to continue pretending she didn't know, and she was glad she could revert back to the language that she loved with him, since no one else would understand it. The prefect just kept her gaze on where his gaze would be, the teen just listened as he began speaking, he had been afraid too, and with her hand in his, she ever so slightly squeezed it, but he kept speaking and she couldn't help but agree with it, avoiding him was difficult.

More than being difficult it was tiring, and she wanted to be able to be friends with him again, she really wanted to be able to sit with him again, she wanted to not have to openly avoid him in classes, or during the prefect duties. She nodded at him, clearly in agreement, she just wanted them at the very least to start their friendship again to rekindle it, and figure things out for them. She didn't know what would happen in the future of their friendship but she was very willing to find out. The girl nodded at his last statement she wanted to be able to be friends again, she wanted to be able to reconcile whatever it was that had distanced them, and she wanted to be able to just spend time with him. Victoire smiled at him, "Yeah, I think we can," she replied quietly in french just nodding at him, and then thinking that this was the right thing to do, and she then just wrapped her arms around him and held him close in a hug. Feeling the need for this little bit of closeness, and after all that had happened she felt like this was right. This halloween hadn't been that terrible after all, and she couldn't help but feel lighter knowing that they might be able to be friends again.
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