Not So Royal

[Madeline Walden]

The festivities at Hogwarts were in full swing. Maddie was amazed at the effort that the school put in to these events. Everything Maddie had attended so far had been incredible, the start of term feast, Halloween and now the Yule Ball. She'd never been to a formal dance like it before and she was very excited. Many of the students were dressed in the most beautiful outfits, everyone looked sensational. Maddie was pleased with her own dress. She felt like a princess, a feeling everyone should experience at least one point in their lives.

There were many tables full of food and drink that Maddie was only too happy to sample. She made her way over to the table and poured herself a drink and picked up a handful of crisps. She scanned the crowd for people she knew but she couldn't spot anyone. She supposed her friends were still getting ready, it didn't take her that long which surprised her. It meant more time for dancing and eating anyway.

 

[Tholomyes Fontaine]

Tholomyes was no stranger to any ball, and he definitely was looking forward to the magical one, though he would never admit it, and feared more that he would end up having the worst kind of time at this event. The Ravenclaw however was dressed in his normal, perfectly fitting suit which his sister had reminded him to bring when they had packed for school, he was wandering around the hall, and spotted her in the distance in the hall, and rather than annoy her on this night he was looking for something to do, looking for a little bit of fun, he really didn't want to spend an awful evening and the way he imagined he would avoid it would be by spending some time just having fun with other people. However, Theo couldn't spot Emma anywhere in this hall, he had thought about asking her to the ball, but his fear of being turned down had stopped him, he had really enjoyed her company at the protest and spending more time with her was definitely on his agenda, but as he looked for her, the Ravenclaw teen spotted a girl very much familiar to him, "Miss Hepburn, well, don't you look like the royal one of the two of us this evening," he greeted the Ravenclaw girl with a surprising amount of warmth, although their fun at the Halloween feast played a role in how he believed spending some time with her might end up being, so following the formalities of before, he bowed at her, hoping that while she might not have recognised him without the some what crazy costume the way he was acting might remind her.
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[Madeline Walden]

A boy who looked familiar to Maddie approached the food and drinks table. She couldn't quite work out who he was and where she knew him from, luckily he spoke first and everything became clear to her. He addressed her as 'Miss Hepburn' and she smiled at him. The Halloween feast was one of Maddie's favourite nights so far at Hogwarts. It filled her with happiness every time she thought about that night. Theo was right, she did look like the royal one this evening. "I thought it would be my turn to impress this time" she said. "Do you want a drink, my liege?" she asked while winking at him. The boy certainly looked very different without his king costume on. In all honesty, Maddie would never have recognised him in the crowd, or even around Hogwarts. She had probably walked past him many times without even realising.

 

[Tholomyes Fontaine]

The boy was pretty pleased when she seemed to realise who he was and it didn't create too much of an awkward conversation, obviously in his suit and not in his full out king costume the Ravenclaw looked incredibly different, for one thing, his hair was a fraction of the length it had been at that, and rather than wearing a very extravagant costume he was wearing a very smart but normal suit the only thing which made a little different from most was the red pocket square and the lack of what wizards called dress robes, but he smiled at her, and he nodded at her, "Colour me impressed, miss Hepburn, you look incredible," he told her with a smile, unable to find the negative in this situation with her, at her question he nodded, "Of course, your highness," he replied, "But before we share in refreshments, will you do me the honour of a dance?" he proceed to bow deeply to her, like he'd seen people do to the royal family of Belgium. He felt like this time around he should be treating her like the queen and he was the mere servant as he held out his hand to her.
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[Madeline Walden]

Maddie was pleased with the reaction that Theo was giving her, it was nice to be complimented. It was a completely new situation for her and she wasn't sure how to react, but it was nice feeling nevertheless. She smiled at him and did a little thankful curtsy. "It's almost like we planned this reversal" she giggled. "You look very impressive also." Maddie nodded at Theo's invitation to dance "I would love to, same dance as before?" she asked him, taking his hand and walking towards the dance floor.

 

[Tholomyes Fontaine]

Theo couldn't help but smile at her, he really did like the dress that she was wearing and it did seem like they had completely reversed their roles which made him laugh a little, he could only imagine what the next Halloween feast would be like for them should they even subconsciously do something similar, it brought an easy smile to his lips and he nodded with a smile at her compliment, "Thank you," he straightened the suit jacket with a smile, pretending to dust off the bottom of it, though it didn't need that. He was glad when she took his invitation and subsequently his hand so that they could then move to the dance floor and once again share a dance, "Considering it's the only dance I know your majesty, it will have to be that one," he told her, since he had not yet taken the time to learn any other dances. The Ravenclaw smiled at her and assumed the same position as before with a little more ease, and this time, with a little more confidence he began to lead the dance, "I have however been practicing," he told her, grinning happily, he was excited to spend this time with her.
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[Madeline Walden]

The night was turning out to be really fun, Maddie was having a great time with Theo. Of course, if Halloween was anything to go by, the night would continue to be enjoyable. The dance floor was already pretty full but Maddie found enough space for them to move around comfortably. "That will do" she replied to Theo. She realised she wasn't as good as acting like Royalty like Theo. Maddie wondered if he was actually related to some Royal Family. It would explain quite a lot, although she decided not to voice those thoughts. Soon they assumed slow dance position and they started moving to the music together. It seemed much more fluid and they seemed to be in harmony with each other this time round. Maddie could tell Theo felt more comfortable with this dance now and it put Maddie at ease, she could relax and just go with the flow. Theo made her feel very carefree and comfortable. Which was ironic since they had met when they were both pretending to be someone they were not. Which had extended to tonight as well, but maybe that was their charm. "I can tell! It's a marvellous improvement. We move like we are one, completely in sync and I'm sure we are the subject of jealousy tonight" she grinned at him, then looked around the dance floor at the other pairs on the dance floor, they were definitely the best dancers there.

 

[Tholomyes Fontaine]

This time around in dancing with Madeline, he found it so much simpler, his practice had really paid off and he found himself easily able to lead in the dance and able to just smile in enjoyment about what was happening with them in this yuleball, it was easy, things were simple, he was smiling at her and finding that they were having one of the best times, he couldn't believe how much fun it was, and all his cynical thoughts seemed to be entirely pushed out of his mind as he danced with his friend, it was just so easy to be carefree with her, it was just so easy to be less critical, he barely had enough space in his mind to find any faults with what was happening. There was such simplicity in dancing with her that he never imagined he would achieve, "Thank you, I did have an excellent teacher," he replied with a broad smile and he couldn't help but agree that they were moving perfectly together there was no hesitation or incorrect moves, just simple dancing and they were doing it so much better than everyone else, and while it hadn't been a conscious effort to get better for this yuleball but he was definitely glad he had made a somewhat effort towards it with how simple and good this felt, "We are," he repeated with a nod, "And I am the subject of jealousy since I have the honour of dancing with her majesty over everyone else," he bowed slightly with his head as he said this with a small smile on his face, "You are a marvellous dancer,"
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[Madeline Walden]

Maddie took Theo's hand and did a twirl underneath it before returning to their original position. She grinned at his compliment, she was a good teacher "and you were a good student. Who doesn't need my help anymore, it appears" she winked. She would have to think of new dances to teach Theo as an excuse to see him more often. Although, she was pretty sure that Theo wouldn't object to them seeing each other again. They seemed to get on quite well so Maddie was excited about getting to know him better, outside of dancing. She blushed when he mentioned that he was the subject of jealousy because of her. She did feel like a princess in her long white dress though, but she supposed every girl did at the ball. "Nobody else here is worthy enough" she commented, smiling. Hoping Theo took it as a compliment because it was intended as such. She looked down at her feet when he complimented her dancing, slightly embarrassed to be flattered so much. But grateful nevertheless "thank you for saying that."

 

[Tholomyes Fontaine]

Theo smiled happily at her compliment and then shrugged at her comment, "There is always room for improvement, I think," Tholomyes said with a smile, almost not wanting to say that he didn't need her help as if that might stop them from being able to dance, since he really did enjoy dancing with her. It was fun and different and he definitely thought that there would be others worthy enough for it, but she was good fun and he was really enjoying this time with her, "I am very honoured your majesty," he told her with a bright smile, at her thanks he just smiled, "No problem Maddie," he told her with a small smile, "It's true," he twirled her under his arm and then reassumed the correct position, "I almost feel like we should just make a habit of this dancing at every ball, I'm almost determined to learn a new dance for it," he told her with a bright smile, "Maybe we could come next halloween as king and queen, so we'll both be royal," he said with a small smile, really hoping that they would be able to do, though he didn't know how much she would be interested in it, and as they danced he felt that familiar critical bit of himself tell him that it was all going to go wrong now.
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[Madeline Walden]

Maddie nodded "always, something can always be improved. Even the teacher!" she winked "I need to come up with more moves to show you now" she laughed. Her eyes lit up when he said that they should do this at every ball Hogwarts put on. She was glad that Theo shared her interest in continuing this situation that they found themselves in. She liked dancing with Theo, he made the whole thing enjoyable. "Most definitely!" she agreed, twirling with happiness. "To really impress, I suppose we should practise the dance beforehand" she suggested lightly, furrowing her brow in preparation in case he said no. Maddie wanted to spend more time with Theo after seeing him this second time, and dancing seemed to be in their mutual interests. Maddie also liked the sound of them going as Royals to the next Halloween feast "that sounds perfect to me" she smiled, looking into his eyes, she was excited for next year already.