Open Slow Start

[Chloe Thompson]

Chloë loved valentine's day at hogwarts. She liked the idea of rose deliveries and she thoroughly enjoyed watching people read the notes that came with their roses and their reaction to it. It could be a little bit chaotic and definitely a bit tiring, but it was fun nonetheless and she was sure she'd happily continue signing up for it every year. Now that evening had struck, however, the time for roses was done and the time for food and dancing had come. Chloë liked dressing up, but she didn't see the appeal of appearing in an over the top ball gown to every feast or party, so instead she had decided to put on a simple, short, kind of sparkly black dress. It was a step up from last year, honestly, when she had just come in a pair of jeans and her favourite jacket. As long as she was comfortable she was good. The one thing that made things slightly difficult was that she didn't have a date whilst a lot of her friends did. She didn't really mind coming alone, but she'd normally head over to her friends when she spotted them. Now, however, she wasn't so sure whether she should. She did spot a couple already there, but they had come with a date and she didn't want to interrupt whatever they had going on. Instead, she made her way over to the snack table (as per usual) and got herself a glass of punch as she tried to decide what her next move would be. She'd have absolutely no trouble dancing by herself, if only the music wasn't so slow.

 

[Juniper Zumwalt]

Juniper loved walking around the dances. Last year, she had kind of went with Ajax, but all in all, she just liked to dance and have a good time. Plus, there were always free treats which meant more snacks she could sneak back up to the dorm. She saw her sister with a camera girl as they took a picture together and eyed it in curiousity. Adorah hadn't meantioned she'd had a date, but then again, they really hadn't said two words to each other since the winter break ended. Juniper honestly didn't mind. She didn't want to hear about how she could have "done better" against her dueling opponent. Trying not to focus on the negative, she walked over to the refreshment table and grabbed a few cookies, wrapping some up in a napkin when she noticed a classmate nearby. "Chloe, right? You're not gonna tell, are you?" she whispered as she stuffed a few small treats into the back pocket of her jeans.

 

[Chloe Thompson]

Chloë had just been quietly trying to come up with a plan when her eyes fell on another girl stuffing snacks into her pockets. She tried not to chuckle when the girl, who she recognized as Juniper, whispered to her. She didn't really know a lot about her, but she did remember the girl had been a part of the thing with the cootie catcher a year ago. "That's me." She whispered back with a little nod, before confidently shaking her head. "Definitely not." She replied, still trying not to chuckle at the sight as she didn't want to expose her. "I mean the snacks are a big part of the reason I enjoy these dances." Chloë smiled, taking a sip of her drink in an attempt to not make their whispering look suspicious. She could often be found at the snack table during hogwarts parties, but she had never thought about sneaking some of them back to her dorm. It was a pretty smart idea, really. "Love your outfit, by the way."

 

[Juniper Zumwalt]

Juniper released her hand from her back pocket when the Gryffindor reassured her that her secret was safe. She reached for a shortbread cookie and took a bite. "I'm the same. They seem to pull out all the extra stops with these events so why not enjoy the food?" she said with a smile. When Chloe complimented her outfit, she gave a small twirl with the cookie still in hand. "Really? I designed it myself," she said, pointing to the top. She loved wearing her own creations, even more when people appreciated them. "I'm a fan of your dress as well. Classic but festive," she said, taking another bite of the cookie. "You know, a few alterations, and you can reuse that for the Yule Ball next year. No one would know."

 

[Chloe Thompson]

Chloë took another sip of her drink as she eyed the table, trying to decide what snack she would go for first. After a second she decided on a cauldron cake, taking a big bite as she nodded along in agreement. "Right? I always head to the snacks first." She replied with a chuckle, the snack table being her first stop everytime she entered the hall during one of the parties. "No way, that's so cool!" She exclaimed when Juniper mentioned she had designed her outfit herself. It was cool. It also reminded her a bit of the outfit she wore last year that involved jeans as well. She had kind of stood out between all the dresses, but she didn't mind. "Well if I don't have an outfit by that time I'll be sure to find you." Chloë smiled at the mention of changing up her dress. She didn't feel the need to wear something new for every occassion anyways, so changing things up sounded like a cool way to re-use her outfits. "Do you modify a lot of your own clothes?"

 

[Juniper Zumwalt]

Juniper finished her current cookie as Chloe complimented her fashion sense and smiled. She was always very eager to talk about fashion. She wasn't sure if it was a skill she would continue on with in the future, but she always enjoyed repurposing things. "I do! My parents had a lot of kids to support growing up so I had lots of handme downs. Many were outdated," she said, placing herself at a table nearby, making sure not to lean too far back as to not crush the treats in her pocket. "So, the easiest thing I found was to start adding my own touches or adding ties to make large items smaller. And well, here we are," she said, putting her arms out. "I could talk forever about this kind of stuff so I don't want to bore you with it." She was definitely aware that her niche interst was not everyone's cup of tea. "Is there something that you are passionate about?" she asked, turning the attention back on Chloe.

 

[Chloe Thompson]

Chloë wasn't much invested in fashion, although she did like to look good, have nice clothes, but that was about it. If it was comfortable and looked nice she'd be happy. Nevertheless, she was truly interested in what Juniper had to say about her clothes and her interest in changing them up and being creative with them. "So you got a lot of siblings?" She asked, slightly side-tracked by the mention of Juniper's parents having a lot of kids to look after. She only had her brother and whilst that was plenty for her she did wonder what it would be like to have more siblings. "I love that though, that you manage to make everything your own." Chloë smiled brightly at her, shaking her head when she mentioned she didn't want to bore her. "Oh, you're honestly not. I'm a very curious anyways." She laughed, knowing that if Juniper hadn't explained some more about it she would've just kept asking her questions. "Well I've been a dancer for most of my life, so there's that," Chloë started her answer with a little shrug, before smiling more excitedly. "But I'd definitely say quidditch is at the top of the list of things I'm passionate about."