Scream and shout

[Preston Paine]

Preston had left his common room hours before the party in the Great Hall was set to begin. There was really no reason for him to remain in the room. It wasn’t like anyone really spoke to him these days, certainly not any of the people he used to speak to. Some of them had stopped speaking to him because he was a prefect. He knew that was jealousy, and he didn’t really care about those people. It was the others, the ones who stage-whispered ‘Mudblood’ whenever he was in a room that bugged him most. Preston felt like he was in a constant state of readiness, fists balled against his side whenever he entered the room. It meant nothing though because he knew, and he knew that they knew, that he’d never resort to using his fists. Preston was too much of a pretty boy for that, and it would only help to solidify that he was muggle born. Wizards didn’t use their fists. Sitting atop a desk in the empty classroom, Preston debated whether or not to even bother going to the stupid feast. His fingers played with the mask in his hand, moving back and forth. Finally, the teenager slid off the desktop. He had determined that he was going to go. Preston had enjoyed himself at every Halloween Feast he’d attended. He didn’t want to let them win by skipping this one.

Donning his mask, Preston slid out of the abandoned classroom, scaring a group of first year girls who had unfortunately been passing the room at the time. They screamed and sprinted off holding hands while Preston grinned beneath the mask. Taking the steps two at a time, Preston followed the crowd towards the sound of the music which was making him in more of a party mood. No one will even know it is you , Preston thought to himself. The thought of being anonymous, even for one night, was thrilling for someone who felt like they were always being whispered about. As he stepped through the doors of the Great Hall, Preston took in the decorations for a second before making his way to the food table where he grabbed a spider shaped cookie. He lifted his mask a bit so that he could slip the cookie into his mouth. Chewing the oatmeal cookie, Preston drifted around the outskirts of the dance floor, admiring the costumes of his school mates.

 

[Sage Ottavi]

Getting ready for the Halloween feast was hard, the girl was unsure as to what she wanted to go dressed as. She had her costume from the year before, but she didn't think she could go as that for a second year in a row. So instead she'd been working hard putting something together. In the end she was sure it had actually paid off. She was putting the finishing touches on her outfit. Adding the subtle amount of make up, that she really needed to set off the outfit. She had combined what she knew about halloween, or the carnival with this. She had gone for something simple and yet perfect. She was dressed as an angel. She had made large white wings, which were just as big as she was. The bottom tips just touched the floor, without her heels. The outfit itself was a simple white dress, strapless, and the skirt stopped midway down her thighs. Well above her knees. She matched this with a halo floating and high heeled white shoes. The dress was a tad more revealing than most others would go for, for a simple school dance, but Sage didn't care if it was just a simple dance. She wore the clothes that showed off her slim figure, and chose the shoes that best suited her legs. Once she had checked herself in the mirror a few more times, the slytherin felt she was finally ready to leave, she slipped on her heels and did a quick twirl before leaving the dorm.

Sage stepped carefully through the corridors towards the great hall, she was walking in a manner so that she wouldn't trip up on the wings, that she'd spent a while putting together. She wasn't sure what to expect from this halloween. The teen was sure that she would enjoy herself, but she was certain that it would probably be quite a dull night. She knew that most others would want to just eat candy and mess around, but Sage's costume was nice, and she didn't want anything to happen to it, she wanted to dance with some boys, and mess around with them. Stepping into the Great Hall, she let herself glance around the room. She noticed that there were a number of people looking her way. She was glad she could attract such attention. Sage smirked at several people, letting her eyes linger on several boys as she made her way through the hall. Sage walked with confidence through the crowd, she was happy, her costume was so much better than everyone else's. She looked amazing, she didn't even have the advantage of being a veela, or part veela. Sage thought of herself as naturally beautiful. Finally Sage stopped at a table with drinks, and get herself one. Careful to move away from the table before turning back to face the crowd of students, Sage let her eyes glance around at the different people's costumes. None as good as hers, she thought. The slytherin teen took her cup and found herself a seat at an empty table. She was careful to sit with the wings, so concerned with them, she hadn't really thought about the fact that her skirt while sitting down was even shorter. Sage just needed someone to flirt with now, some boy who she could have some fun with.
​

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston had stopped for a moment to watch a scarecrow leaning against the wall a few feet away. It had been enchanted to come to life and make as if it were going to chase whoever got close to it. So far, he'd seen it scare a group of first years, the same girls that he'd scared earlier actually, a prefect, and a professor who obviously hadn't been on the planning committee for the party. Each time, Preston found himself sniggering as he watched the person start. The professor was especially hilarious because she reached for her heart as if it might leap out of her chest. Still laughing, Preston turned and continued walking around. The Slytherin briefly scanned the room for his 'girlfriend.' He didn't even know what that meant anymore because it was in name only. He didn't know if it was because it was OWL season or something else, but Indiana had been very absent. Preston knew that he could be trying harder to re-connect with her, but the Slytherin was much too busy in his current woe-is-me attitude. Preston felt that she should be seeking him out. Everyone else seemed to have heard what happened in the Great Hall, so he refused to believe that Indiana was oblivious to it all. Preston side-stepped a zombie before deciding that he'd probably sit for a while.

It wasn't long before he came across the vision in white. The girl was stunning even though she was doing little more than sitting down. The wings behind her seemed to add to her aura, which was already alluring enough to the Slytherin boy. Preston recognized her immediately. He'd seen her at that silly party that the seventh years had thrown in the Forbidden Forest last year. Preston hadn't stayed long, his fear of Professor Styx much too great for him to really enjoy himself. But, he did remember coming across her, a beauty of a girl, and trying to sidle up to her to start a conversation. As it had last time, seeing her put thoughts of Indiana out of his head. She was that distracting to the teenaged boy. He hadn't had much luck last time, not even getting her name, but he hoped that tonight, with the anonymity of his costume, his luck might be improved. He felt like he was due some good luck for a change. Preston was glad for the mask because it allowed him to admire her legs as he walked towards her without seeming like a creep. It would also allow him to save face should things go horribly wrong. His hands coming to rest on the chair right beside her, Preston spoke before he chickened out. "How many times have you heard this one tonight" he cleared his throat for effect, "Heaven must be missing an angel, cuz there's one sitting in front of me?" Preston had heard the lame pickup line on a tv show one day and had laughed and laughed about it. He could only hope that the girl would find it just as amusing in light of her costume choice. If not, he hoped that she'd at least say something he could work with.

 

[Sage Ottavi]

As Sage sat at the table, she was quick to move her attention away from the wings, when she was sure that they were fine, and to make sure everything else was still correctly in place. The halo, that was enhanced by magic to float just above her hair, and move with her when she moved. The slytherin girl was happily in her own little world, her legs stretched out in front of her still completely oblivious, and also not caring to the fact that her skirt was riding up. Sage was half New Zealander and half argentinian, her skin was a soft, lightly tanned colour, and she was blessed with incredibly slim legs. The only good things she got from her useless mother was her skin, and her legs, both of which as it turned out, Sage was grateful for. Adjusting the headband ever so slightly, the girl picked up her drink and from a straw to not mess up her lip stick, took a long drink. She glanced at the other costumes around the hall. The usual mesh of rubbish, of stupid and terrible looking costumes. Sage had always thought that this sort of thing, a halloween event like this merited just the best sort of costume. She wasn't really looking out for anyone important, she didn't have any friends, so she definitely wasn't trying to spot them. Sage was looking for some boy she could mess around with. Because she knew in her current outfit it would be hard for most to turn her down. Sage wasn't overly concieted, but she was confident in herself, and she did not lack any self-esteem. She knew she was beautiful, and she would play to those strengths.

Propping her legs up on the chair in front, the girl let her bright blue eyes, glance down at her shoes. She realised now, like this, that the skirt was something she should maybe watch out for more, so she flattened it out, but it was already fairly short as it was. It was halloween, and on that day, those kind of things were allowed. Just as she'd been considering to go get herself some company, a voice spoke. She looked up and noticed a boy wearing a mask and holding on to the chair next to her. She smirked at him as he spoke, chuckling at the pick up line. She recognised the voice, but not overly enough to place him just yet. "You might just be the first, I don't think anyone else would ever start with a line like that" She kept her eyes glancing around the mask, a smirk on her lips. "Who are you supposed to be?" She paused "Wait, Scream. The killer from the scream movies, right?". Sage brought her feet down from the chair and stood up to full height, she was just a little smaller than the boy in the heels. Sage was still growing, and she knew she'd get taller, but for now, the heels were the only things that added any real height to her. Brushing down her costume, the slytherin realised that there was a small scuff stain on the edge of one of the heels. She groaned slightly, and briefly bent down to brush it away, completely ignoring the boy that stood just a little behind her as she fixed the shoe. Her wings, like the halo were also enhanced by magic, moved with her as if they actually were a part of her. Moving out to the side to balance her.

Standing back up straight and turning back to face him, Sage decided that this boy, whoever he was, was perhaps a little shy and needed some persuading. She met his eyes, well, as much as she could and without glancing, reached out and took his hand very lightly in hers. "Let's go dance" She spoke quietly, leaning in slightly as she spoke. Without much more of a word, the girl turned and walked in the direction of the dance floor, she knew that people were looking her direction as she walked, glancing back to see if he was following. Even if he wasn't, Sage would find someone else.
​

 

[Preston Paine]

A chuckle was a start. Preston smiled beneath his mask, not sure whether to be embarassed or proud at the fact that no one else would use that pick up line. He really hadn't used it either, though it had worked enough to get the girl talking to him. With her legs propped on the chair that his hands were resting on, Preston had a good view of her long, tan legs. His head cocked to the side as she asked him who he was supposed to be. He didn't have a need to reply, though, because she answered her own question a moment later. That she knew the name of the classic muggle horror film surprised Preston greatly. He knew that the girl was from his own house, and he knew firsthand how against muggle everything some of his housemates were. With a quick nod, Preston replied, " Yup. Pretty and smart. Have you seen them then?"

As the girl made to stand up, Preston released his hands from the chair and took a step back. The boy's eyes moved from the halo that moved with her and followed her hands as they brushed down her dress, taking in her curves as she bent down to do something to her shoes. The wings were impressive, moving outward as of they had been magically enhanced to assist her. If Preston was a better student, he might have cared to ask her about the magic she'd used in the costume. He didn't though. Preston was far more preoccupied by the girl herself and how she looked in the dress. It was very, very distracting to say the least. Preston wondered briefly whether she had some veela blood in her. He'd heard from the some of the guys that girls with veela blood were gorgeous and that they had some kind of allure that drew men in. That had to be it with this girl. As she straightened again, Preston struggled to think of something else to say. He'd worked so hard for this opening and here he was about to blow it. Thankfully, the girl was ready to do the work for him. Preston felt her hand in his and leaned in as she spoke. It was difficult to hear over the din in the room, but as she headed toward the dance floor, there was no mistaking her words.

She was several steps ahead of him, people already filling the space left by her wings by the time he got his feet moving. "Wait up!" Other guys were taking notice, but Preston was not going to let them take this away from him. Taking several long steps, the fifth year caught up to her just as she reached the dance floor. The song was fairly upbeat and Preston found himself getting into it quickly, only a fleeting thought of Indiana crossing his mind as he reached for the angel's hand to spin her around. It was just a dance after all.

 

[Sage Ottavi]

Sage knew it wasn't very slytherin of her to know this old muggle reference, but with a muggleborn grandmother, on her mother's side, her father had liked them after being shown them when first dating Sage's mother, and because Sage got along with her father she made a point of trying to like the things that he liked. So she'd seen pretty much seen all of them, though as a slytherin she wouldn't really ever openly admit it, and it had been a while since. This was possibly the first time she'd ever been glad to know it slightly. "Not in a long while. My father really likes them" She gave a small shrug, while Sage was a proud slytherin, who was proud of her blood heritage, she didn't overly mind when it came to others. Just as long as they were muggles she was alright. Just as a slytherin, she would jump with the others to insulting those of muggleborn blood. "I liked the first one the most, after that, they just were not as captivating." She smirked at him, picking her words with care, and elongating the final word. It was a little annoying that she couldn't see this boys face, and therefore couldn't pinpoint who it was. She just hoped it wasn't some overly developed first year. Sage was pretty sure it wasn't but, it would be nicer to know. It wouldn't stop her with this boy however. She had his attention, and she was sure he was interested. At first Sage was a little unsure of if he would follow her to the dance floor. maybe he had a girlfriend that he was worried about her seeing him with Sage, but no matter what Sage would find someone to dance with. It wouldn't be that hard really. The slytherin girl knew that she should know who this person was, but she couldn't put the voice to a name, and well, it wasn't something that bothered her that much, because she was sure that he didn't know who she was. Sage always looked good, but she wasn't ever showing this much skin, and her school shoes were not heels.

The smirk on the slytherin's lips grew when the boy told her to wait up, so she stopped and looked round at him. Waiting for him to catch up with her, just as she reached the dance floor. The teen just watched him close the gap, drawing slight attention to both him and her. The song playing with upbeat, and this was a good thing to get started. Sage wasn't a trained dancer of any sort, she was wearing large heels, so it wasn't a perfect combination, but she had fairly good rhythm, and her Argentinian grandmother had shown her how to move in a samba fashion to the music. It meant that while Sage wasn't a perfect dancer, she could more than adequately get by. Sage was glad when he took her hand and spun her around, once spun, she kept a small hold of his hand, Sage continued to dance. She kept herself at a close distance, but not so close that their bodies touched. Only as it became clear the song was going to end, did Sage move closer. The rhythm changed slightly, still upbeat but slower than the last. Sage smiled at the boy, taking his hand again, and placing it round her waist. She raised her hand and placed it on the back of the boy's neck, bring him closer, so they could dance together, closer but still keeping it safe. She glanced around them briefly, noting several eyes on them. "You don't have a girlfriend do you?" She asked leaning in so that he would be able to hear her when she spoke. "I don't want the drama, and there are plenty of boys here who are interested" She was talking about herself, she didn't want the drama of any girlfriend (thought with how they were dancing Sage doubted he had a girlfriend), and with how she was dressed she had the pick of the litter of all the other boys. Sage leaned away and looked at him, loosening her touch and moving away slightly. Just putting a little more space their bodies, but not all too much. Making no motion to leave.
​

 

[Preston Paine]

After he'd spun her and she didn't let go of his hand, Preston simply danced. It was exhilarating to just let his body move, joining the mass of students who were jumping and turning and rocking to the beat. A smile was frozen to the guy's face and he wished that there was a way to freeze this moment of happiness in place. For the moment, he was just a guy, not a prefect, not a Slytherin, not a muggleborn, dancing with a very pretty girl. Her hand felt good in his. Preston had always liked the delicate contrast of holding onto Indiana's hand in his own bigger, rougher hand. It was a similar feeling holding onto the angel. There was no need to ruin the moment with speaking, so Preston continued to dance close to her, but not so close as to make her feel uncomfortable. She didn't seem the type to get uncomfortable easily, but he didn't want to risk finding out. She was the one who moved in closer to him, moving his hand to her tiny waist. As she put an arm around his neck, Preston moved his other hand to her back, brushing one of the wings as he moved it. There was an intimacy to their closeness, but not so much that he thought a professor would show up to break them apart. Not yet anyway. There were other couples, closer to the outskirts of the dance floor who warranted a professor stepping in way more than they did.

Preston wasn't much taller than the girl in her heels, so it was easy to hear her words. If she'd been able to see his face, Preston was sure everything would have been ruined in that moment. For not the first time this evening, Preston was grateful for his mask. He knew that she was expecting a response when she leaned back a little and loosened her grip. Preston knew that she'd probably move on if he told the truth and admitted that he did have a girlfriend, one that he hardly ever saw anymore outside of class but he was certain that would be besides the point. Thoughts swirled in Preston's head faster than he could really process their consequences. In a moment, Preston made a decisio. Tightening his grip on her hand, not enough to be uncomfortable (he hoped) but enough to let her know that he didn't want her going anywhere, Preston shook his head, the mask staying very much in place. "No drama here. Promise." Preston stated, holding up one of his hands as if he were swearing an oath. He probably had nothing to worry about. Indiana's friends hardly spoke to him when she wasn't around, and they wouldn't be able to recognize him anyway. That was the beauty of the mask. "I'd ask you if you had a boyfriend, but I figure he would have stepped in by now" Preston added with a smirk she couldn't see and a shrug that she could. It was starting to get hot under the mask, but now more than ever, Preston knew he had to keep it on. " This really is a good bit of magic" he spoke through the mask, his fingers moving to stroke the feathers of the wing that was hovering behind her. The move brought Preston slightly closer to her, close enough that he hoped other guys who were looking at the girl, in her short white dress, would give up for the night.

 

[Sage Ottavi]

Sage was actually quite surprised about how much she was actually enjoying dancing with this unknown boy. It was fun, and she liked the attention he was giving her. Of all the people he could've chosen, he picked Sage to be the one that he danced with. Of course, Sage believed that out of all the girls currently in the Great Hall, she looked the best. Everyone went for the traditional costumes, the ones that were just there for fun, Sage's costume was for fun but it was also the type of costume that she had clearly put effort into to make herself look better. She knew that the dress fitted her slim form perfectly. That it fitted her shape perfectly. The shoes were the added bonus that made her legs look long and sleek. She was glad that she choose that outfit, since this boy she was dancing with clearly quite liked it. She wasn't looking for anything serious, but fun wasn't serious. Fun was playful and short. She wasn't looking for a boyfriend. She was looking for boys to be interested in her, and pay attention to her. This was the best example of it. She was glad for the closeness, it worked well, and Sage found it meant their bodies moved more fluidly together. It wasn't two people dancing, but two people dancing as one. Something like that. She looked up at him, expecting an answer to his question. While it wouldn't stop her. She wasn't interested in dealing with the drama on this night of all nights with some jealous girlfriend, that Sage assumed that she was probably prettier than. Because if she wasn't, then why wouldn't this boy be with her, and not currently with Sage. Though when he tightened his grip on her ever so slightly, her smile grew. She knew what that meant. This boy was free for her to pursue on this night, and probably this night only. Which was good, because really that was all she was interested in. Sage assumed that the boy felt the same way. Halloween was a one off kind of night. Which was why she was glad that he didn't have some girlfriend. There would be no fall out after either. Not that she really cared that much about this masked boy. "Good" She replied with a smile. Speaking with a slight tone of indifference. While she didn't want to deal with drama, at this point her conquest would be him.

Sage smirked at the boy when he returned the question to her. She gave a light laugh. "I don't. No boy would've let me sit by myself, while I'm dressed like this." Sage spoke slowly, motioning down at her dress as she spoke before glancing back up at the boy. "And if he did, it's his loss. Your gain" The slytherin girl let her smile grow when he complimented her wings, the magic and ended up pulling them closer. Sage lightly shook her head. She put both arms around his neck, one hand resting lightly on the back of his neck, the other just rest on his shoulder. She was showing, like he was that no one else should try anything. It didn't bother her that she couldn't see his face any more. "I know" She replied. Not wanting to say much more about it. The song in the background changed to a much slower song. Sage moved with the music. Swaying her hips along with the song, Sage's glance went from the little space between them, to where his eyes would be behind the mask. She was in control, as she had been for most of the time before this. She kept their bodies close together, swaying. Keeping close enough, just at the point before they might just get in trouble. When the song came to an end, Sage glanced towards the tables and then looked back at the masked boy. She leaned into his, and lightly kissed the little gap between the mouth and the nose. Before pulling away, a smirk on her face. She pulled away from him, letting his arm linger around her waist. "Maybe we need to go some where, where less people are watching" She said softly. Pulling his arm away from around her waist. Her hand lingering on his slightly longer, just before she moved away and began to head towards a darkened area of the room. She glanced around at the boy, wondering if he was going to join her. The night would soon be at a close, and since he was wearing a mask, she figured that they needed someone that he wouldn't be able to be seen by others. Sage was more than happy to comply with that.
​

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston had few expectations for the evening. He hadn’t even been sure he was going to attend until he’d walked through the doors of the Great Hall. Now, he was glad that he had. With the mask, he had been free to be himself more than he had in the past few weeks. In the common room, Preston mostly kept to himself these days. It wasn’t like people had been clambering over themselves to speak to him before Sergei had outed him, but now many of the Slytherins were actively avoiding him. The ones who didn’t tended to speak about him as if he wasn’t in the room. No one was too disrespectful – he was a prefect after all – but the tension was clearly there. Tonight, with his mask, none of that existed because no one knew who he was. A fleeting thought of walking to classes in a different mask every day went through the boy’s mind, putting a smile on his face. The girl in front of him did too. Preston was pretty sure that he’d seen her in his common room, though they’d never had a conversation before. It wasn’t too odd considering he was persona non grata in the common room and they weren’t friends. He was pretty sure his company was welcome at the moment, and that’s all he cared about. It was nice to have a female’s attention. Preston hadn’t noticed how much he’d missed it until these past few moments when he and the angel were standing so close. His smile broadened as she spoke, confirming that she didn’t have a boyfriend. She was right, of course. Only an idiot would let a girl like her sit alone. She was the type of girl that made a guy forget everything else that was going on in his life. “Definitely my gain” he agreed with a nod. By now, Preston had grown confident that no other guy stood a chance. For tonight at least, the angel was his to entertain. There was no doubt in his mind that he was entertaining her and not the other way around. She’d made it clear and it was obvious that there were other interested guys around. Not that they mattered anymore. Preston knew that he should feel guilty, and he did but only a little bit. He had rationalized all of his actions away by reassuring himself that it didn’t matter since no one knew who he was. To everyone, he was just some dude at the party in a Scream mask. A part of Preston knew that it would matter to Indiana, but he quickly buried that part deep within him. If she cared, she would be here with him.

Under his mask, Preston’s smirk widened as she placed a hand on his chest. It would’ve been possessive if they were together. He was still sure that it was meant to send some sort of message in case any other females in the room had any ideas. The small gesture made Preston like the teenage girl even more, sending any thoughts of Indiana away. Everything about her seemed to exude that she knew she looked good and could get what she wanted because of it. As the music slowed, Preston watched the girl move even closer to him. He could see her more clearly, and his heart quickened as he wondered if she could see his eyes through the dark mesh. Everyone said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, and he feared her recognizing him through the mask somehow and having this magical moment end. Preston reassured himself with a reminder that she hadn’t recognized his voice as of yet, which meant that she didn’t know who he was. He didn’t even know her name and wasn’t going to break the moment by asking her. Preston moved with her, enjoying the thrill that came with wondering when they’d be broken up by a professor. So far, no one had made a move to break them apart. As she moved closer, Preston braced himself for her to reach for the mask. What she did was more surprising than that as she laid a kiss on his mask. The boy’s eyes closed, suddenly wanting to do nothing more than rip the mask off that he’d been counting as a blessing until that very moment. Her next words would have been difficult to hear over the music if Preston wasn’t so hyper-attuned to her. As she drifted away from him, her hand the last thing to break away from him, Preston glanced at where she was heading. He knew exactly what she had planned, or at least he thought he did. The Slytherin knew that it was one thing to receive a kiss from some random girl at a party and quite another to actively pursue the girl, even if it was for one night. Preston knew that if he took a step towards her, there’d be no going back from that. Had the semester been going differently for Preston, he likely would have made a very different choice. He only had to think for a moment, looking forward to some fun for a change, before taking a few quick strides to follow the angel who was once again leaving a path in the wake of her wings.