Open New Sights

[Catherine Barrington]

The draw of Valentine's Day was one Catherine had been unable to ignore. Almost without realizing it, she had found her way at Hogwarts castle for the celebration. The spirit usually haunted in Brightstone Village, but it seemed like tonight the temptation of romance and celebration was too strong to resist. Catherine had always been a romantic, and the sight of all the happy couples dancing together brought her back to many balls she had attended when she was still living. She watched for a while, hidden in the shadows as she observed. She was reminded of her own Hogwarts days, at a similar school but on a completely different continent. Certainly, the dresses had been a lot more elegant and a lot less scandalous, but the feeling of excitement and apprehension was the same. Romance was blooming in this hall, and Catherine was delighted. She soon forget her nervousness and her shyness and moved more out into the open. She found herself a clear space where she started twirling and dancing as if with a partner, careful not to touch any of the nearby students by accident. Her ghostly dress moved along with her, the skirt trailing inches above the floor. As she moved, she became less and less transparent as she thought of the love she used to have, and more visible to those around her.

 

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander had re-used his Yule outfit for Valentines, as he often did, though his father had charmed the suit from plain grey to a more vibrant red to make it appear a little newer, and as with the previous year, he'd decorated it with some of the yellow roses he'd gotten, poking them through the buttonholes of his jacket. He liked the look, and it was more fun than leaving them in his dorm to slowly wilt. The boy danced through the decorated hall by himself, on a quest to find his friends. The ones that didn't have dates, at least. He'd spotted Emma with Ajaccio, the latter of who seemed to be going with a different girl every ball. It was probably his eyebrows, Lysander decided. They made him look interesting. Jenna and Iris were also around, and he thought to join them and say hi, only, his path was interrupted by an older girl. If not for the fact they were surrounded by falling petals and splashes of pink, Lysander might have confused the event for Halloween, and assumed it was a very good ghost costume. Instead, it seemed to be an actual ghost. He'd never seen one so young in the school before, the others seemed much older, and he hadn't thought they'd ever been to a dance before. He shot a glance at Iris, wondering if maybe she had summoned the ghost with her spirit board. If she did, he didn't know why she would have left her by herself. Plucking up the courage to talk to her, Lysander stepped forward, dancing around her swaying dress to avoid a chill. "Hi. Do you want someone to dance with?" He asked, since she had no partner, and neither did she.​

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[Catherine Barrington]

Catherine could almost imagine she was here as the student she had been so long ago, attending the celebrations like all the others here. She got lost in the music, enjoying herself with a small smile on her face. But as she was approached by a boy, reality crashed in and she gave a small gasp of surprise, floating backward a little. She felt her cheeks flush a darker grey, and she quickly bowed down in a curtsy. "Apologies." She said quietly. "I must have forgotten my surroundings for a moment. It is kind of you to offer yourself as a dance partner, but I don't want to make things uncomfortable for you." She told the boy, her brows creasing in concern. He looked like a sweet boy, but Catherine knew she couldn't touch a human without it feeling cold and unpleasant for them. It surprised her the boy didn't seem scared or intimidated by her, but it made her happy too. One of the worst things of being a ghost was being seen as something fearful, something terrifying. Once upon a time, everyone had just thought her beautiful, and she missed those days.

 

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander stifled a laugh in response to the ghost's reaction. It was supposed to be ghosts who startled living people, not the other way around. He dipped in a bow to match her curtsy, almost feeling like he was getting ready for a duel, rather than a dance. "Uncomfortable how? What do you, oh, because you're..." He didn't want to say dead even though she obviously was, and he was sure she knew that too. "I don't mind. It'll be fun! Dancing keeps you warm." He told her, holding out his hand. By you he meant himself, or the living. He didn't know if ghosts could feel warm. Since they were so cold, maybe that was the only thing they felt. He wouldn't ask her, but he thought he might ask Iris is she knew, or if they could pull out the spirit board and find out.​

 

[Catherine Barrington]

Catherine smiled as the boy bowed, then looked at him fondly as he sidestepped the exact issue to be polite. He seemed very sweet. "I know it is cold for you." She said hesitantly. "But, if you're certain." She reached out, her hand hovering close to his. She couldn't touch him exactly, but it almost felt like she could. Catherine closed her eyes for a moment, memories of dancing at parties before her death coming back to her. But then she opened her eyes again and looked at the boy, starting to dance with him carefully. It wasn't exactly a proper dance, as they couldn't touch and she didn't want to get too close to him. But... it was nice. "What's your name?" She asked after a while. "I apologize for not doing proper introductions. I'm Catherine Barrington."

 

[Lysander Summers]

This was not how Lysander expected his Valentines night to go, but he was quite happy with it. He slowly swayed around, not really knowing how to dance, and glad he didn't have to worry about stepping on her toes because of it. His way of dancing was very different, and usually solo, so it took him a few moments to awkwardly figure out where he should be stepping and moving. His fingertips brushed against the ghosts a couple of times, sending chills down the length of his arm. He grimaced, feeling goosebumps prickle on his skin. He quickly turned it into a grin, and listened to the ghost's introduction. "That's okay. I'm Lysander Summers." He introduced himself in turn. He got on his toes and twirled his hand above her head, to pretend to spin her, or something. He didn't really know, it's just what he'd seen people do, and he enjoyed it whenever he'd danced at home with his family as a kid. "So are you a house ghost?" He asked her. He hadn't seen many of the ghosts in Hogwarts, though he'd heard there were a few of them, and he wasn't familiar with who the ghosts of the other houses were.[/jusitfy]​

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