This should be fun, I hope

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy stepped off the last step and walked over to the entrance to the great hall. Already he could hear music playing and he watched as some of the brotherhood walked by with their dates. He looked towards the steps, wondering if Elspeth would be much longer. It had only taken him a few mintues to get ready. He had thrown on his shirt and slacks, run a comb through his hair and then finally put on the dreadful dress shoes. He knew girls usually took longer than that though, so he had simply left his room and the common room to wait downstairs. They had agreed to meet at the ball anyway, which was probably best.

Glancing back towards the great hall, Jeremy decided to take a peek inside. He hadn't gone to the Yule ball last year, so he had no idea what to expect. The first thing he noticed was that there were no house tables. That was interesting. Without them, the hall looked even larger than normal. The dance floor that had been set up looked shiny wherever he could see it, though that was becoming less and less by the moment. He stepped inside and headed straight for the refreshment table to grab himself some punch while he waited for his fellow Ravenclaw to show up. As he poured himself a glass, he looked up and listened to the woman who had stepped to the front and announced herself as being back as the headmistress. She looked quite festive and the whole room did as well. He took a sip of his drink and looked back towards the door, wondering how much longer she would be.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth hurried down the steps, trying not to trip in her shoes. The heels weren't that high, but she didn't want a sprained ankle on her first Yule Ball. She hadn't attended the last one, still grieving over her mother, (and a little crazy), but she was determined not to think about that tonight. She stopped right before the entrance and checked her hair and dress, making sure it hadn't turned bright green or something while she wasn't looking. She had that kind of luck. She took a single step in the door before stopping again to listen to the new Headmistress.

After the speech had ended, she made immediately for the tables. She had no idea where to meet Jeremy, but she was really thirsty, having rushed all the way from the girls dormitories. Looking around, she saw her 'date' walking away. Rolling her eyes, she hurried after him. "Hey Jeremy." Elspeth paused, not wanting to stand there in silence again. Their last conversation had been excruciatingly awkward, enough to last her another few years. "What happened to the other Headmaster?" She frowned. She hadn't been paying that much attention, but the other guy looked strict enough to last for decades as a headmaster.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Looking over as he heard his name, Jeremy eye's widened when he caught sight of Elspeth. He wasn't feeling especially nervous when he left the room, but seeing her in front of him in a dress and heels changed that. She looked really nice. His heart began racing quickly and all he could think about was that she was going to ask him to dance and he was probably going to look foolish. Their last conversation had been pretty awkward and he forced himself to answer her question quickly. He hoped that if he kept her talking then things wouldn't get to that awkward point. "Hey Elspeth" he greeted her with a smile and then shrugged. "I don't know, but she said she's coming back as headmistress. I guess she was the headmistress before and left." He didn't really know what was going on either, but the lady at the front seemed to be happy enough to be back, so she must have been happy being the headmistress.

"You look really nice" he added in a shy voice. He took a sip of the drink in his hand, glad that he had something to occupy his hands. He hated that feeling he got when he was waiting for the person to say something and he felt as if his hands were huge and clumsy. Now, at least one was busy holding his cup and the other was safely in his pocket. "I wonder how long it took them to do all of this" he added as he looked at the decorations. He could already see some of the brotherhood dancing with their partners and he stood by wondering what Elspeth would want to do. He didn't know if he should ask her to dance or if she wanted to sit for a few minutes and then dance, so he just waited.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth listened intently as Jeremy spoke. It fit with what the new headmistress had said, that she was returning. When he said she looked nice, she smiled, hiding her surprise. She was used to being called crazy, not nice. "Thanks. You look good too." She raised her drinks to her lips and took a sip, using the time to think of something to say. When he commented on the Hall she was relieved. "Yeah, it looks really good. I'm glad the House Tables aren't here." Elspeth looked at all the dancers, noticing in particular two boys from the auction. "Well they're having fun..." she laughed. "I thought he was just bidding as a joke!" She was glad there weren't many people who were really unhappy with their Yule Ball dates, at least that she could see.

Elspeth put her drink down and looked expectantly at Jeremy. "Well? Should we dance?" Grinning mischievously, she didn't wait for an answer before dragging him onto the dance floor. The song was a fast paced one, otherwise she would have never have had the courage to even suggest dancing. Her face was crimson, so she concentrated on her feet, making sure she didn't trip. "I'm no good at dancing," she confessed, trying to talk and not trip simultaneously. "Well, I'm good at ballet and those types, but when I'm not doing those, I'm really a complete klutz."

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

"Thanks" Jeremy said with a note of surprise in his voice. It was the first time he had been complimented by someone who wasn't family. And he thought he looked only ok. Balls and dances and stuff were mostly about the ladies to him. They were the ones who wore different colors and spent time on hair and make-up. He nodded eagerly as she kept up the conversation, glad that it hadn't grown awkward yet. The night was young though. "Yea, that is pretty cool." He finished off his drink and then placed his glass on a tray that was hovering past with other empty glasses. " I guess not" Jeremy chuckled as he looked to where Elspeth was looking.

Her next words caused him to blanch, but before he could shake his head emphatically he was being dragged onto the dance floor. Jeremy reluctantly began to move, much too slowly for the quick music that was playing. It was better than nothing, but he was certainly not going to win any competitions with the way he was moving. It was clear that he was uncomfortable and he kept his eyes down as he moved a bit faster actually getting a bit into it. Looking up quickly as Elspeth spoke, a look of skepticism crossed Jeremy's face. "Please. Next to me you dance like a pro" he chuckled and then smiled. This was actually not as bad as he thought it was going to be. "do you really dance ballet?" He couldn't remember if she had mentioned it during her first conversation with him, but she didn't think he had.