Twas the Night of the Yule Ball

[Griffin McGuinness]

Though he could not for the life of him imagine how, Griffin McGuinness had actually managed to get good grades for his first semester at Hogwarts. It felt good; amazing actually. Griffin had been so pleased with himself he'd actually been shaken out of his usual introverted state and asked a girl to the Yule Ball. Of course, he didn't actually have feelings for Margo Liddell, but she was the only girl he knew so far. She'd agreed to go as friends, in a group, and so here he was, at the last place he'd have thought to be merely weeks ago.

The hall did look great, and for once Griffin had actually taken a few minutes to put himself together. Foregoing dress robes (Griffin thought dress robes looked incredibly stupid) Griffin wore nice pants with a blue shirt that made his bright blue eyes seem even bluer. His tie was black to match his pants and he'd even managed to tame his long-ish hair. Of course he hadn't done any of this of his own volition; he'd simply mentioned in a letter to his mum that he was going with someone to the ball, and in the time it took the family owl to fly from Hogwarts to Ireland and back, Griffin had received dress clothes and a 2 page letter detailing how he needed to dress. That was that. The Gryffindor did have to admit his mum had had a point. He did look pretty good.

Waiting for Margo and her friends to arrive Griffin watched the other students interacting. A slight pang of regret stung his chest. Half of his first year was gone, and Griffin still had yet to make any friends. Well, he had one if Margo counted, but they were really only acquaintances that sometimes got along and were able to tolerate each other the rest of the time. Still, Margo was nice if somewhat too chipper, and she'd offered to introduce him to some of her friends. Merlin knew Griff really needed to make a couple friends.

After what seemed like ages Margo finally arrived and Griffin felt himself involuntarily letting out a low whistle. Of course, being who she was, the girl smirked at him, raising an eyebrow. Griffin merely grabbed her hand, forcing her to spin around as he gave her a look over. "Looking good Liddell, I guess I won't be totally embarrassed to be seen here with you after all," he stated playfully. "So where are these friends of yours then?"

 

[Margo Liddell]

Why in Merlin's name did I ever think wearing heels was a decent idea? Margo thought to herself as she carefully made her way down to the Great Hall for her very first Yule Ball. She would be attending with a group tonight. Much to her surprise and, if she was being honest with herself (which she wasn't), delight, Eugene had asked her to go with him. Unfortunately Margo had already agreed to attend with Griffin McGuinness, not wanting to end up going alone and not thinking she'd be asked by anyone else. Once she'd told Griffin she would go with him Margo couldn't go back on her word but luckily Griffin had agreed to attend as a group since they'd only been going as friends in the first place.

Little Margo had prepared carefully, wanting to look her best for her first dance. Auntie Sophie had even sent her a beautiful new dress as a birthday present. The dark purple dress shimmered with flecks of gold when she turned, offsetting the bright green eyes she had rimmed with black for the night. Her long hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, giving Margo a casual yet elegant look. For once, Margo thought she looked quite pretty. The dress and the makeup she'd worn for the evening made her look a bit older, something Margo was glad; she didn't want to stand out as an obvious first year tonight. She couldn't wait for her friends to see her.

Walking into the great hall Margo felt her breath catch. The place looked beautiful. Christmas had always seemed like a magical time to the young girl, and at Hogwarts, a place of actual magic, the effect was magnified. She was pleased to see the ceiling had been enchanted to look as if snow were falling. It was strange to be in a place where Christmas came in the summer. It hardly felt like Christmas time at all. The snow changed that, reminding Margo so much of home that she got a bit choked up. Glistening emerald eyes scanned the hall, searching for her friends.

Griffin's height made him easily recognizable despite the fact he looked nothing like himself. Margo smiled; glad to see her friend had actually bothered to dress up a bit. She'd half been afraid he'd show up with wrinkled pants and his hair sticking out every which way. As she was thinking of this Griffin spotted her and let out a surprised whistle. Margo couldn't help but laugh, shooting the boy a confident smirk. She giggled harder as Griffin grabbed her hand, forcing her to spin. Of course he had to ruin the moment. "Gee thanks 'McGuinness'" Margo replied while rolling her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the boy before turning back to look toward the entrance of the Great Hall. "I'm not sure. I wasn't able to talk to Kaleb or Isla, so I'm not sure if they're going to make it tonight, but Eugene and his friend should be here soon."

 

[Eugene Smythe]

Being finally done with exams, Eugene felt that a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulder and now finally he could breath. And that had forced him to come out of his self-exiled state and join his friends in some celebration. Kaleb and Isla were still no where to be found and so Eugene had tracked down his favourite Gryffindor, Margo Liddell and asked her to the ball, feeling that he must do something to mak-up for his recent absence.

But to his slight irritation, she had been already asked to the ball. Eugene hadn't heard of this boy called Griffin before and he wondered when Margo had become friends with him. He had blamed himself for being absent for so long that she had had to make new friends and then become a bit broody for a while. All this was because Eugene was very territorial when it came to his friends. He didn't like anyone intruding in his group unless they had been invited to join by himself and it ticked him off if someone tried. Anyhow he had come to his senses later and asked Margo if they could go as a group and told her that he might bring a friend too. He hadn't been sure at the time about whom he might invite but he knew a few girls in the Hufflepuff house and the one he liked the best was Jaz.

Jaz was one of those shy Hufflepuff girls but Eugene got along quite well with her and they had spent many hours together poring over their homework and helping each other out. She was smart and sweet and Eugene had soon realized that she just needed to break out of her shell a bit and then she would bloom like a flower in spring. That was why Eugene had decided that he would ask her to go with him and make sure that she had fun and also became friends with Margo.

But girls would be girls,and Eugene had been asked to wait for Jaz in the Entrance hall as obviously she would take more time in getting ready than he had. And it wasn't like Eugene had just put on the first thing he found either. He had half an hour, which was the longest record time in history, to get ready. His grandma had sent him a long grey tweed coat, brown suede pants and a dark grey scarf with a white shirt. Everything except the white shirt had looked completely ridiculous and formal to him.

However accompained with the gifts were also threats that if he didn't wear the outfit sent then he wouldn't be sent any pocket money and that had seemed too scary for this eleven year old so he had decided to get ready just for his grandma's pleasure. He was sure that when they got their year book, his grandma would check what he had worn to the ball and give him hell if she wasn't satisfied. He had put on his perfectly ironed clothes and then taken a long time to dye his hair to a dark brown color just for the evening. He felt that this hair color made him look more matured and he resembled his dad a lot.

Finally being ready he had come down to the Entrance Hall, where as was custom, boys waited for their dates to the Ball. Of course, Eugene and Jaz were just going as friends and then they would be joining with Margo and Griffin and it would be more like a group of friends having fun at a party then anything else. Eugene also had half a mind to set up Jaz and McGuinness so he could have Margo to himself for a while. He wondered if he would be successful though since Jaz was completely shy and she had opened up a bit to Eugene but that didn't mean that she would be comfortable with his friends too.But for the moment all these wondering and musing was wiped out of his mind as he moved to the doors of the Great Hall and got a glimpse of the insides.

The decoration was magnificent and it could almost make him forget that it was summer outside the Hall. The ceiling made it look like snow was falling on their heads and there were seven huge Chrismas trees at the front of the Hall that had live fairies as decorations. Huge snowflakes were suspended in midair above their heads, all of different designs and they looked like they were made of crystals because whenever light caught them, they threw rainbows into the air.Everything was illuminated by a soft white and blue light which came from balls of light that floated high up in the air. It was really beautiful.

Eugene turned and looked at the students in the Entrance hall some of whom he recognized. He had to say that everybody had put on their best party dresses and were ready to impress whomever. He waited for Jaz, eager to see her all dressed up because he knew that she would definitely look very pretty. Also he couldn't wait to see Margo and show Jaz off to her.

 

[Jasmine Smith]

Jasmine was incredibly nervous. It was the night of the Yule Ball that had been discussed for such a long time. However, it wasn't excitement bubbling up inside the young Hufflepuff like everyone else, but pure nerves. She wasn't a confident person, and the thought of being in a dress for the evening and having to dance and be in the same area as others in her school was a scary thought. It was going to be fun, or so she had been told. The older students in the house had talked about the food and beverages, the music and the dancing, and in Jaz's opinion, it sounded like it would be a fun night to remember. However, first she had to get to the ball. She had to step out from her dormitory and into the common room, then walk down the 4 flights of stairs and meet Eugene at the bottom of them. He hadn't asked as a date, which she was relieved about, but he had made her feel special and welcome by inviting her as a friend with a group. The young girl had few friends due to being so quiet, and it was nice to have a friend like Eugene. He could make her laugh, and he understood her, unlike so many people. They sat near each other in most of their lessons, and helped each other with their work. It was a brilliant friendship, and Jaz daily thanked Hogwarts for bringing them together. Friends were hard to find, and friends like Eugene who persevered with her, were even harder to find. So it was just a friendly event and that was fine. Definitely fine with her. The exams and lessons were over for the term, and Jaz had been delighted about having time to try and find a dress and get ready for the ball. But that presented a problem. Jasmine had been saving up for something, but she didn't know what it was yet. However, it seemed silly to spend a large amount of her money on a dress for a ball, and she probably wouldn't be able to wear it again. So, the shy girl had written to Tessa, her older sister. Tessa was fashionable and beautiful. Like seriously, beautiful! Tessa had written back, delighted at a chance to help her younger sister and show her that Jasmine would be hopeless without her. Jaz had put these comments aside, and accepted the help. A beautiful dress in her size had arrived a few weeks later along with gold high-heels and a clutch bag. Accompanying the present, was a 4 parchment long letter with details about dancing and boys. Jaz had poured over these letters, absorbing the tips and style ideas and ignoring the comments about the boys. Finally, she had felt like she had a chance of being acceptable for this ball.

An hour after going upstairs, Jaz stood looking in her mirror, critically pulling her outfit apart. She had straightened her hair with a simple spell that Tessa had described (you could always trust Tessa to know spells about beauty) and had carefully applied some simple muggle make-up. Her nails had been painted with her steady, artistic hand and a simple gold bangle hung loosely on her right wrist. The high heels weren't a new experience for the young brunette, who had been forced to model Tessa's shoes when she had been younger, and see which went best with which outfits. The sisters, despite their age, had been a similar size, with Tessa being the petite, girly daughter and Jaz growing largely at the age of 9, before coming to a slower rate of growing and ending up as a small person in her year group. This was fine, and it didn't bother her, and the outcome of this was that she could easily walk and dance in high-heels. Making a mental note to thank her older sister for those years of torment, she took a deep breath, smiled into the mirror and stepped towards the door. The descent to the entrance hall wasn't a long one, and she was surrounded by various other students, chattering away and ignoring the young Hufflepuff. Pleased that she wasn't standing out too much, she scanned her eyes around, looking for Eugene. Jaz had no idea who they were meeting, as she hadn't gotten to know many others in her year group. However she trusted Eugene and smiled widely when she saw him waiting for her. He looked smart and she smiled, pleased that she wouldn't be the only dressed up one in their group. It was a ridiculous thought, but it hadn't stopped her worrying about it. Giving him a small wave, she finished walking down the stairs and stood next to him. "Sorry about the wait." Her words came out quietly, suddenly shy at the situation she found herself in. Biting her lip a little, she waited for Eugene to say something or lead the way into the Great Hall. Tonight was going to be fun, if she allowed it to be.

 

[Eugene Smythe]

Eugene spotted Jaz descending the stairs to the Entrance hall. For a second he wasn't sure if it was Jaz because he had hardly ever seen her in a dress and she looked very pretty in this one. He wondered whether she had always looked like this but he hadn't noticed her before. He grinned and waved back at her. When she reached him he offered his right arm to her, so that she could link her arm through it like he had seen in some events that he had attended with his Nana. "You look absolutely gorgeous,Jasmine,you should dress up more often." he told her with a small wink as he led the way into the hall.

He scanned the walls and noticed Margo standing with a dark haired boy and recognized him. He had seen the boy in many of his classes and sometimes talking with Margo but he had never paid much attention to him. A mean little voice in his brain told him that the McGuinness boy was probably trying to get Margo's help in classes since she was very smart. But a more sane voice told him not to judge the boy since he didn't even know him yet and if Margo was friends with him then he must be a nice guy.

He took Jaz with him as he made his way towards Margo and McGuinness.As he walked closer, now his attention was drawn to Margo who looked very grown up even though her petite form suggested otherwise. And she looked stunning too. Finally when the had navigated through the crowd and reached their friends Eugene stopped and decided that it would be most proper to make introductions first.

"Hiya!" he greeted them cheerfully and then turned to Jaz, "Jaz this is my friend Margo and Margo this is the lovely Jasmine Smith herself!" he said doing a ta-daa hand motion while still grinning."And you must be Griffin! It's good to finally meet Margo's mystery date" he said in a teasing voice, winking at Margo holding out a hand to the McGuinness boy.

 

[Griffin McGuinness]

Griffin nodded to Margo's reply, glad that the girl could take a joke. Still, he felt a little bad that the poor kid had to attend the ball with someone who was awful with giving compliments to girls. He was only twelve after all. Girls were just friends for all Griffin was concerned at the moment. He hadn't yet met a girl that had made an impression on him in any other way. Remembering the long letter his mum had written him Griffin decided to make up for his comment a bit, grabbing the corsage he'd made out of flowers picked from the garden off a near by table. His mum had said it was customary to give a girl flowers for a dance, assuring him that she'd have his hide if she found out he'd ruined some poor girls first ball by not doing so. Margo seemed a bit distracted by something, so Griffin gently elbowed her to get her attention. "Now don't go getting any funny ideas about us, but these are for you," he said, presenting the corsage to her. It was actually quite nice considering he'd made it himself. Griff had been surprised to discover that his artistic talents seemed to seep into flower arranging. Not that he'd ever tell anyone. Seeing the look on Margo's face Griffin was glad he'd decided to actually give her the flowers. He wasn't one to show it often, but Griffin did enjoy making people happy.

Griffin and Margo made small talk about exams and quidditch for awhile as they waited for her friends. Quite unexpectedly, Griffin was actually enjoying the small girls company and not finding her at all annoying for once. Maybe they could actually get to be good friends after all. Maybe. The pretty Gryffindor stopped mid sentence, her smile frozen as the joy seemed to seep out of her eyes. Now that was certainly strange. Following her line of sight Griffin spotted a boy and girl just beginning to walk towards them arm in arm. So that's how it is then, Griffin thought to himself. He wasn't mad that his Yule date was seemingly interested in another boy. She probably didn't even realize it herself yet knowing girls his age. Figuring he'd help her out a bit Griffin leaned over to whisper in Margo's ear, "I've just said the funniest thing in the world, and you're going to laugh at it and keep talking to me until they get here, okay? If you need inspiration just look at that kid trying to dance over there," Griffin told her, nodding to a boy who looked as if he was having a seizure while trying to do the chicken dance. Margo seemed confused but she complied easily after seeing the boy.

The Hufflepuffs finally reached them and for the first time Griffin was able to get a good look at the pair. The girl was quietly stunning though she seemed a tad bit uncomfortable. It was endearing really. The boy was a bit over the top with his gestures, not someone Griffin would typically have introduced himself to, but Griffin was not really in a place to be picky about friends. Feeling a flash of anger towards the boy as he called his partner lovely, Griffin bit it back. If poor Margo was clueless about her feelings, Eugene probably was too. It wasn't fair for Griffin to get angry at him. Still, he was feeling strangely protective over Margo suddenly. Much the same way he felt around his sister Mavis. Margo, however, was handling herself beautifully, the picture of considerate grace. Following her lead Griffin took the other boys hand, "That would be me. She talked about me that much huh? How many times do I have to tell you to stop bragging about how amazing I am Margo? Really, it's getting to be embarrassing," Griffin stated jokingly, laughing as the Gryffindor girl responded. Turning back to Eugene Griff continued, "Good to meet you too mate." The tall boy then turned his attention to the 'lovely' Jasmine. She really was quite lovely, he had to give Eugene that. "Good to meet you as well Jasmine. Are you excited to be at the ball?"

 

[Margo Liddell]

Continuing to scan the great hall in search of her other friends Margo bobbed a beat to the music. She couldn't wait for everyone to arrive so they could begin actually participating in the ball. Margo was most looking forward to the dancing. Oh how she loved to dance! It was so much fun to just let go and move along to music. Dancing was nearly as lovely as flying. As a song came on that Margo knew she began softly singing to herself as she searched. She didn't realize she was doing so of course. Though she had a nice singing voice Margo was extremely self conscious when it came to singing and very rarely did so where anyone could actually hear her. Shaken from her thoughts by the nudge of an elbow Margo turned her attention back to Griffin. She had nearly forgotten he was standing there.

Margo grinned as Griffin told her not to get any funny ideas. Griffin could be nice when he wanted to be and was often fun to be around, but the two were about as incompatible romantically as oil and water and they both knew it. Her green eyes widened in surprise when she saw what Griffin was presenting to her. A corsage? That was certainly unexpected. Slipping the flowers over her wrist Margo thanked Griffin, "Aww, Griff, you do have feelings! They're lovely really, thank you. I'm so sorry I didn't think to get anything for you." Getting an idea Margo carefully pulled one of the flowers out of the arrangement now adorning her wrist and charmed it to stick to Griffin's shirt. "There, now you have something too." Margo told him with a smile, giggling when he simply rolled his eyes at her.

Griffin began making small talk to pass the time, Margo responding eagerly glad to get to know her friend a little better. She was glad to hear that he'd done well on exams. Being his only friend Margo had been the one he'd confided in when he'd received the letter from his mum about his grades. She knew Griffin had tried very hard to pull his grades up, so it was nice that all his work had actually payed of nicely. Too often in life things didn't seem to quite work out that way. Midway through a rather heated discussion about quidditch Margo stopped dead, her green eyes falling on Eugene making his way toward her. A rather unexpected rush of jealousy filled Margo, confusing her and making her feel a bit sick. Eugene had his arm linked with a rather pretty girl. Her dress was gorgeous and she seemed to have a certain feminine quality that Margo struggled to achieve. Merlin knew she seemed to be having an easier time with her heels than Margo. Margo felt as if she'd been slapped. Whats wrong with you Margo Liddell the young girl scolded herself. Why should you care if Eugene is here with a pretty girl? It's only Eugene. Still, the thought brought her no comfort.

The next thing she knew Margo was being distracted from her internal dialogue by a whisper from Griffin. Confusion filled her emerald eyes as she turned to look at her friend. Why was he telling her to pretend he'd said something funny? Margo was curious though and she couldn't help looking at the boy Griffin had nodded to. Genuine laughter erupted from her eyes fell on a boy making strange jerking movements and apparently trying to dance. Margo felt bad for laughing at the poor boy, but she just couldn't help it. "Don't be mean Griffin. Those moves might be considered amazing where he's from. We could just be behind the times when it comes to dancing," Margo scolded playfully.

The strange boys crazy dance moves were so distracting that Margo forgot all about Eugene walking toward her with a pretty girl. With a huge smile on her face Margo turned to look at Eugene when he greeted her replying simply with a "Hey Eugene. You look nice." Again, she felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach when Eugene introduced the other girl as Jasmine Smith and called her lovely. Luckily, though the young Gryffindor typically wore her heart on her sleeve she was skilled at hiding her emotions when she wanted to. She'd had to learn that quickly after her mother had passed. With a dazzling smile Margo held her hand out to Jasmine, "It's so good to meet you Jasmine. You're in Hufflepuff with Eugene, right? I think I remember you from Charms lessons."

Nervousness rushed over Margo as it became time for Eugene and Griffin to meet. What if they didn't like each other? For the first time Margo realized just how terribly this night could potentially become and said a silent prayer that the boys would get along. The Gryffindor became worried at Eugene's greeting. He sounded a bit sarcastic and Margo desperately hoped Griffin would behave in turn and not take offense. Luckily, Griffin merely joked. Rolling her eyes at the other Gryffindor Margo decided to joke back, "I'm sorry Griff, I just couldn't help myself," before sticking her tongue out at him yet again.

 

[Jasmine Smith]

Jasmine blushed at the compliment Eugene gave her. She was pleased that he thought she looked pretty, but she was unsure as to what to say back. She looked down, blushing and smiling still and took his offered arm. It was very formal, but in a nice way. All around them, other couples were doing the same thing and Jaz began to wonder if they were there as a couple. Hoping to explain that it was the opposite and that they were just friends, Jasmine smiled and followed his lead into the great hall. A beautiful sight met her eyes and she smiled, enchanted with the beauty of the view. It was incredible, magnificent and, well, magic. As they were entering, Professor Davershire was introducing the ball and Jaz half-listened, trying to take in the whole hall with all her senses. This would be a night to remember, a night to tell people of for as long as she could remember. And then it hit her - she had 6 more of these to go, and so she could just enjoy this first one as a first one. Eugene was leading them towards another pair of first years, who she vaguely recognised. Half of her was pleased to be in a group situation, but another part of her was desperately nervous of being with other, unknown people. Unsure of what was causing this, she swallowed the feeling down and smiled shyly at them. Looking down shyly again at the comment of her being 'lovely' she smiled shyly as they both introduced themselves. "It looks amazing." She replied to the boy who was introduced as Griff and smiled and nodded at Margo. Margo looked stunning and Jaz decided to make an effort. "I love your dress. It's really pretty." A smile followed, but she lost her nerve and finished speaking, hoping that someone else would say something. People were beginning to dance and she looked around, watching in amazement as the older students spun each other around with such ease. It was beautiful.

 

[Eugene Smythe]

Out of Character:

sorry for the lateness and lameness guys I got malaria again this time with tonsilitis

"Thanks Margo you look stunning as well." he said with a warm smile. Eugene stopped himself from rolling his eyes as Griffin and Margo joked about how she talked about him all the time. It had irritated him slightly when he had seen them laughing but Eugene knew that he had made Margo laugh a lot too so he told himself that he had nothing to be insecure about. Eugene felt a slight tension in the air after his introductions and immediately began to worry if he had just made things awkward for Jaz. But he had to agree that she did make an effort and Margo was as always ready to break the ice. The song that was being played wasn't one that he had heard before but Eugene loved music and so he was soon swaying to the rythm.And Margo looked like she was soon going to start dancing on the spot so Eugene decided to prompt them all to dance."Fancy dancing you guys?" he asked them gesturing towards the center of the hall where the dance floor was and many students were dancing.

 

[Margo Liddell]

Out of Character:

Stop dying Payal. I seriously hope you feel better soon though!

A huge smile spread across Margo's face at Eugene's compliment and she briefly wondered how it was that this one boy always seemed to be able to make her forget everything else but being happy and having fun. It seemed to be a skill of his as people, especially girls, usually appeared be quite happy to be in his presence. She really was fortunate to have such amazing friends. If only Kaleb and Isla made an appearance tonight could end up perfectly. Any negative feeling disappeared immediately at Jasmine's words. Margo hadn't the slightest idea was she had even been jealous in the first place. She was probably just nervous about being at her first dance.

Margo's green eyes sparkled as she beamed at Jasmine, happy to be receiving so many nice compliments. "Aww, thanks so much Jasmine. It's not as pretty as yours though. Seriously, that dress is fabulous." Margo replied before leaning in toward Jasmine to whisper conspiratorially, "To be honest with you, I feel like one of those little dogs forced to wear a sweater. Like, it's cute and amusing to look at, but it's also a bit strange. Especially in these heels. I think I'm going to fall if I try to move from this spot." Margo was being entirely truthful. The heels terrified her and she felt a bit silly in her dress surrounded by all the beautiful older girls who looked like celebrities on a red carpet. Even Jasmine looked like she belonged there. Margo knew she was pretty, and she looked older than usual, but with her small size and flat chest she knew she didn't stand out like some of the other beauties.

Introductions seemed to be over in a whirl and before Margo knew it Eugene was suggesting they dance. Margo's heart lept at the prospect but she was a bit nervous to dance at a ball. What if everyone thought she looked loons? Then again, when had looking loons ever stopped her from doing something before? With a grin Margo nodded. "I for one would love to dance, though I fear Griffin might trample me. I'm not really sure how this whole height difference thing is going to work out for us." at only about 49 inches Margo was over a foot shorter than Griffin even wearing heels. They looked quite comical standing together; Margo could only imagine how they would look dancing.

 

[Jasmine Smith]

Jasmine smiled and let out a girly giggle at Margo's comment. The Gryffindor seemed friendly, and Jaz hoped that they would be able to get along well. She looked down at her dress, feeling suddenly self conscious. The topic of dancing came up, but Jaz kept quiet, happy to do whatever she was asked to do or whatever was suggested. From Margo's comment, she wondered if Margo wanted to dance with Eugene. The young Hufflepuff didn't mind this happening, she was nervous of going to dance with anyone. Her petite figure would be swamped by the crowds, so she stepped to the side, to the table of drinks they were standing next to, and picked up a cup. "Pumpkin juice." She said to the empty glass, watching with delight as it magically filled up with the liquid. Grateful to Tessa for all the advice she had given her, Jaz waited to see what was going to be decided. Sipping the drink, she watched the group carefully. There seemed to be some type of banter between Margo and Griff and there seemed to be something else between Margo and Eugene. Suddenly, Jaz felt awkward. She knew that Eugene had first asked Margo to the ball but had been declined, but Jaz wondered if Margo had wanted Eugene to go on his own. Feeling in the way, Jaz stepped closer to the table to sip her juice, and turned her attention to the dancing school. It was magical, the way everyone moved together, like swaying seaweed in the ocean. Smiling at the sight, she allowed herself glances over to the group to see what was being said or decided. Jaz hoped that Eugene felt no obligation to remain with her the whole time, just because he had specifically asked her to the ball. Jaz was happy to stand on her own, and melt into the background. It was what she had always done, so continuing that wouldn't be too bad.

I agree with Amy. Stop dying Payal! Or at least wait until we have finished this rp! And sorry, the replies from my end are getting worse and worse :/

 

[Eugene Smythe]

Eugene smiled as his two friends exchanged compliments and relaxed a little. "Don't fret Margo,I am sure Griffin knows how to lead a dance, we English lads are just born with the talent." he said giving her a cocky grin. Eugene had derived from Griffin's accent that he must be Irish and that made him feel warmer towards the boy so that the bitterness that he had felt earlier was gone. He hoped that Griffin would ask Margo to dance otherwise the excited girl would be so happy.

He wanted to go and dance but he wasn't sure whether Jaz wanted to dance or not because she still seemed to be feeling shy. She didn't even get perked up at his suggestion of dancing which was slightly dissapointing for Eugene though not at all unlike personality because she was a generally timid person. He had known when he had asked her to the ball that she would we be out of her comfort zone but he decided that it was the only way to bring out her fun side. He turned to Jaz who was sipping Pumpkin juice and had withdrawn slightly from their circle of friends. "C'mon Jaz! Let's dance!" he said enthusiastically taking her hand lightly and giving it a small tug. He turned to Margo and Griffin and called to them." And you two better follow or I'll come back and drag you in!" he said in a mock warning tone.