Something New

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy was excited that she had a date to the dance tonight because for the past year she had been going alone to these events. Not that there was anything wrong with going solo, but having someone by your side just looked so much better. It had been a long time since she had been interested in anybody so she was trying to go all out and do it the way it was supposed to be done. She decided to wear a red dress to celebrate the season of love. Once she had finished applying her bright red lipstick perfectly, Darcy went down to the Great Hall where Cato would be waiting for her outside, but since her common room was closer to the great hall, she ended up arriving first and didn't mind waiting for the Gryffindor to arrive.
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[Cato Rainsworth]

Cato Rainsworth took his navy blue bow tie, looked in the mirror, and wore it. He smiled before leaving his common room to meet his date Darcy Pratt. Boy was she pretty and not to mention hot, Cato was sure lucky to go to the dance with her. He grabbed a bouquet of Dianthus that he had arranged and made his way to the great hall. He spotted the girl in a stunning red dress who was facing the other way. Cato decided to surprise her by wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, and popped up the bouquet as he rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered "Hello beautiful". Roses were far too common and he thought he'd surprise her with something else that was as pretty but less common.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy had turned around to peak into the doors of the great hall and see what the place looked like so she hadn't seen Cato coming. She felt arms wrap around her and she tightened but as soon as she saw the bouquet of flowers she knew it was Cato because he was an avid gardener. Darcy smiled and took the flowers and said, "They're beautiful!" Ever since she had started dating Cato she had so many more flowers kept around her dorm room and she appreciated them all because they were all different and unique. She turned around to face him and said, "Happy Valentine's Day," giving him a small kiss on the cheek. She looked him up and down and said, "You look nice. Shall we go in?" nodding her head towards the dance.
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[Cato Rainsworth]

"Not as beautiful as you" Cato playfully poked the girl on the nose and smiled at her. Without realizing, the Gryffindor blushed as he realized how lucky he was to be with his date. Darcy looked stunning in her red dress, that color really suit her skin and hair. When Darcy attempted to kiss Cato's cheek, he turned his face and their lips met. The fifteen years old pulled his girl even closer before letting her go. "I can't help but to kiss you" a little smirk appeared across his face and gave another quick kiss to Darcy before he completely let go of her. "We shall" the teenage boy offered a hand for Darcy to hold on to. The boy lead his date to the great hall which was filled with students dancing, having fun. He hoped he wouldn't bore his date as he completely had no idea what to do at the party beside accompanying Darcy and dancing.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy blushed as Cato kissed her multiple times which he always seemed to like doing. Her cheeks turned even pinker as he actually vocalized what she had just been thinking but just laughed it away. She didn't really enjoy kissing quite as much as Cato did, but it didn't bother her enough to say something to him about it. Darcy smiled as she took his hand and they walked into the great hall together. The Slytherin led them to a small table that surrounded the outskirts of the dance floor and took out the bouquet of flowers from the vase that was sitting in the middle of the small table, and then placed her own bouquet of flowers Cato had given her in the vase. "Much better," she said with a satisfied smile. She placed her small handbag on the table as well so people would know that table was occupied, only because she didn't want her flowers to be taken, and then turned to Cato and asked, "Would you like to dance mister?"
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[Cato Rainsworth]

Cato followed Darcy's steps and went to sit on the seat near the dance floor. He watched his date putting the flowers in the vase and this made him even happier. He planted those flowers especially for Darcy and he felt very appreciated after seeing what she had done to his little gift. "It is utterly my honor to dance with you, Ms Pratt" he bowed and gave a hand, acting as a prince requesting the princess to dance at the ball. Cato wasn't too fond of slow dances, he liked jiving with the beat. Swing, Latin, Jive were his favorite. But it was time to waltz which would be better than just a slow dance. "Allow me" Cato said before leading her into the dance. He twirled Darcy before placing a hand on her waist and the other holding her arm. Cato waited until the chamber started playing the music.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy smiled as Cato bowed and took his hand, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. Cato played the perfect boyfriend so she knew she should be appreciative of how sweet and attentive he was to her but she always felt just a little out of sorts. She thought perhaps it was because she was so out of touch with dating since she hadn't dated in so long and only really had one relationship that she didn't know how to be a good girlfriend. But she tried to play her part as best as she knew how. The Slytherin placed one hand on Cato's shoulder and the other in his hand and pulled him close to her as they began to dance. "You're a very good dancer," she noted after a while, smiling clearly impressed.​

 

[Cato Rainsworth]

Cato closed his eyes before the strings started to play. "One, two, three, one, two three" he said, whispering. The Gryffindor smiled and lead the stunning Slytherin in triple meter rhythm. He loved how elegant the sound of strings were being produced. "I'll take that as a compliment" he twirled Darcy and held her close to him again. "Are you fond of dancing?" there weren't a lot of students on his age who fancy ballroom dancing. And lately he hadn't been able to find himself a dance partner, it would be great if perhaps Darcy too shared the similar hobby. "What qualities do you seek for in a guy?" Cato randomly asked and twirled her once more before the chamber stopped playing.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy laughed a little when she heard Cato counting the steps out loud but found it endearing. She twirled happily and settled closer to him afterward. "I do love dancing," she nodded, happier now that Cato was good at it, "but I think I prefer to play the piano and watching everyone dance to the music instead," she said, smiling as she opened up to the Gryffindor. The piano was the only instrument she knew how to play and the only one she cared to learn. His next question caught her off guard though and she looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Oh um, I don't know," she shrugged, feeling herself blush. "I think just someone who is artistic and well read," she began, because she liked those qualities in people. But then something else came to mind, "Someone that looks like you could cut yourself on their sharp edges but when you get to know them they're the softest, kindest person who probably couldn't hurt a fly but..." Darcy trailed off, feeling herself go pinker and as she realized she hadn't really specified a gender and had seemed to be describing someone specific. She quickly went over her words again wondering if Cato could attribute them to himself but in her haste she miscalculated her steps and ended up stepping on Cato's toes. "I'm sorry!" she said stepping back to give him space. "Are you okay?"
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[Cato Rainsworth]

"We should do a duet, I play cello" Cato tilted his eyebrow, he was surprised to meet someone else who could play a musical instrument. And this made Darcy even more interesting. The boy watched his Slytherin date's expression when she started describing the perfect boy, her cheek turned pink and it made him smile even wider. "I can't believe how adorable you are" he smiled, eyeing at her lips. He wanted to kiss her. The Gryffindor suddenly felt his foot being stepped on. He shut his eyes tight and felt the pain, it wasn't bad but it surprised him. "It's fine really" the music stopped and everyone started to clap. Cato played along with the crowd and pulled his date closer to him gently. The second song started to play, and guess what it is... "Great... A slow, lazy, zen song." Cato commented sarcastically as the students started to get ready for the slow dance. Cato placed his hands on Darcy's hips and moved his body with the music. "Do you have any pet peeves?" Cato randomly asked to keep the conversation flowing.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy felt bad for having stepped on Cato's foot but was relieved when he didn't seem to mind. The Slytherin felt guilty and ashamed for the reason she had gotten so distracted and vowed to be a better partner to Cato because it wasn't like certain feelings she had could be acted on or reciprocated. Darcy clapped politely when the waltz was over and chuckled at the Gryffindor's comment but placed her hands around his neck comfortably as he put his on her hips. She pulled him in closer as they danced and thought about his next question. "I'm not sure," she said truthfully, she hadn't thought about it. She was sure she had many pet peeves, as she didn't have the patience to deal with a lot of people, but nothing specific was coming to mind at the moment. "But enough about me, what about you?" she asked instead. She felt like he had been asking all the questions and Darcy hadn't done much to ask any in return. "Do you really play the cello? How long have you been playing?" she asked, clearly interested in his abilities. She would definitely take him up on his duet offer. "What do you look for in a girl?" she added, returning the first question he asked her. Perhaps this would help her be a better girlfriend to him.​