Touches my Foolish Heart

[Monty Pendleton]

It was another night of ineffable beauty - a night that came but once a year, and with it touched endless hearts. Perhaps not for Monty, who was accustomed to his solitude, and who had long ago resigned to his perpetual inability to fall in love; but he was, for the most part, usually content to sit aside at the staff table and observe it kindling around him. But today his heart was struck with a sad chord, and as the evening bore on, he grew less and less amiable with the idea of simply sitting quietly aside. A war of sorts had fomented in his mind, and he battled with the desire to make a move and the desire to stay put for the better portion of an hour, before the former voice finally silenced the latter, and he stood to travel to the table at which Ava King sat.

The Inventor smiled tenderly as he approached, his heart giving a gentle flutter at the thought of what he should be about to propose. "May I have this dance?" he asked, upholding inordinate formality that he knew Ava would find amusing, but that he could not help, because it was the only way he felt acceptable to behave in her presence.

 

[Ava King]

Ava loved the Yule Ball nearly as much as Halloween. She loved getting dressed up, and she loved seeing her students dress up too. Everyone looked absolutely stunning. Ava sometimes wished she could get Zannon to come, but apart from it really not being his scene, she didn't think it'd be appropriate. Nevertheless, she enjoyed sitting in the Hall, watching everyone arrive, and get dancing. Cyndi had done an amazing job setting it all up, all Ava had to do this time round was get dressed and arrive. She was thankful for her best friend.
Ava sat, picking on the sweets and sipping her tea, watching the night unfold, thoroughly enjoying herself when she saw Monty approach. Her smile grew as he made his way over to her, and she giggled at his formal-ness, standing up, and giving him a little curtsy. "Why, it would be my honor Mr. Pendleton."

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty's smile grew ruefully as Ava accepted his request with equal formality. He was grateful for her friendship; it did not feel inappropriate to offer her his arm, nor to escort her to the dance floor; though it did only occur to him once they reached it that he would need to actually touch her in order to dance. As if it did not bother him (to show any signs of discomfort now would surely only create an awkward tension between the two friends), he turned to face her, placing one hand in hers and the other on the small of her back. He had never stood quite so tall and self-assuredly as he did then, and the feeling, though comfortable, was foreign. It was his unconscious desire to take care of her - to lead, and to let it be known that he would. The song on the gramophone ended, and a pause ensued as a new one was selected. "When was the last time you danced, Ms King?" he asked presently, now maintaining his excessive courtliness mostly for the purposes of amusing Ava.

 

[Ava King]

Ava took Monty's arm with a smile, moving gracefully with him as they moved onto the dance floor. She looked up at him happily as they took their position, placing a hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand, ready for the music to start playing. It was a slow and beautiful piece, and she chuckled at Monty's question. "I can't say for sure - probably a lot longer than I care to admit." Ava replied. "And yourself Sir Pendleyton?" Ava asked, mixing his name on purpose. "Are you just naturally this good, or do you practice in your down time?" She teased.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty was aware of the few heads that had turned to watch two of their professors take to the dance floor; but at present the younger did not care. He smiled as Ava admitted to a lengthy time since her last dance, and then blushed, both for her rearranging of his name and her proceeding comment. "Well... one has not been afforded the pleasure to dance numerously," he said; but then, sensing it was unavoidable, he conceded, dropping (some of) his formality in the process. "Oh, all right; I've never danced. But I have read a disproportionate number of books on the subject, considering."

Monty was glad, momentarily, for the beginning of the music, because his secret desire to some day dance was not one he particularly craved to discuss with the woman he most respected of any in the world. But then the chords grew familiar, and as the professor stepped in time to them with Ava, a pang of fear rose in his chest. An enthusiast of most things old and Muggle, he could name [the song] before it reached its first verse. Of all the songs that could have played next! He drew a nervous breath, doing well to appear unphased by the lyrics, even though they threatened to reveal by means of tears every emotion he had been nurturing for Ava over the last two years. No matter how the sadness consumed him, he could not allow her to know how he cared for her. She was engaged elsewhere with a fellow named Zannon, who Monty knew little more of than his name; any revelation of love on on his behalf now would only serve to create a very awkward tension between the two colleagues. It was no use. He'd been too late.

Noticing he had fallen silent, Monty searched for something to say. He couldn't very well tell Ava she looked beautiful - even if she did, and even if he longed to. Whilst it could, conceivably, have been a comment made by one friend to another, Monty knew better his intentions, and did not wish to risk it for fear his tone would be as sincere as he meant. Why did she have to be so breathtaking, and charming, and funny? He could have tried to pick out her flaws and remind himself of them whenever he felt himself growing fond; except that he couldn't think of any. Feeling a tear begin to well in his eye, he ceased thoughts of this nature immediately and gave brief examination to the ceiling. The song wasn't a long one, but when Monty couldn't think of anything to say, it seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Any man of decent calibre would have been capable of holding down a conversation, anyway, he thought sadly. Ava deserved more. She deserved Zannon.

 

[Ava King]

Ava looked at Monty, quite surprised when he said he'd never danced. It made sense that he had read the books, but Ava was definitely a hands-on learner, and found after reading something, she actually had to get up and try it to be any good at it. "Well, you are hiding that fact very well Monts. I would never have guessed! And I'm also flabbergasted that you say you've never danced - surely you have a line of ladies awaiting the chance to dance with thee Monty Pendleton?" Ava commented, her tone light but in all being quite serious.
As the two of them fell silent, Ava happily looked around the room, watching the students and other Professors dance and eat and have fun. She was quite content with silence, silence between two friends was never awkward for her. Ava did notice, however, when she looked back at Monty, that his gaze was on the ceiling. "You alright Monts?"

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty blushed at Ava's compliment, and then laughed heartily. "Oh, yes. They'll be here any moment now, I assure you," he joked, effectively avoiding the actual question, because really, did he want Ava to know he'd never been asked to dance? Admittedly, this was much a consequence of having been an awkward, shy teenager, followed by attending a total of zero dances until the age of forty-one, but Monty was not inclined to explain this.

When Ava caught him looking at the ceiling, Monty dropped his gaze back down at once and smiled. He was too well bound by his morals to interfere with the happiness of another merely for the sake of his own, so he said, "Oh, I'm fine, thank you; just admiring the sky." But then he realised how terrible it was to be admiring the ceiling over his dance partner, and felt a brief waver of panic, until he realised that, as Ava's friend, this was perfectly acceptable anyway. Merlin - when had life become so confusing? The song ended, to Monty's relief and disappointment, simultaneously; and as was correct at a ball he escorted Ava back to the table from which he had removed her. "Thank you, Ms King. Your dancing hiatus was equally inapparent as you claim my inexperience to be," he said, returning to their silly facade, and then, before he could keep himself, added, "And I hope it isn't inappropriate for me to say that you are looking incredibly beautiful this evening." With a formal little bow to indicate that he was (sort of) being humorous, he took a few steps back, and then laughed as he turned away to get her a drink from the bar across the room.