Open Wallflower Hours

[Theodore Hoshino]

Teddy had expected the ancient green monstrosity that arrived by owl just before the Yule Ball, as well as the sinking feeling that filled his gut as he opened it. It had been accompanied by a simple note from his ma, which Teddy had initially been excited about as he hadn't heard from her since the Howler Incident, but his hopes were quickly squashed as he read it. 'Remember, you represent the family name,' was all that had been written to him, along with the horrendously expensive-looking dress robes. A pair of enchanted scissors that had also flown out of the package, determined to cut his hair into a more "proper" shape, and Teddy managed to escape almost unscathed by locking them in his trunk. A few alterations of the Slytherin-green outfit and several chunks of hair missing later, Teddy was as ready as he'd ever be and headed down to the Great Hall.

The idea of dancing didn't appeal to him, and he was already tired from the stress of having to face his family over the holidays, so Teddy headed for an empty table where he could sit in relative peace. Even from the sidelines, the ball was a welcome distraction from his thoughts, and Teddy happily admired the decorations and watched the events unfolding around him.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas had never gone to an even this formal before, and he felt a little awkward in a simple white button-down shirt, which was really the best he had. He figured it wouldn't be the worst thing, and felt a little more at ease when he walked past a boy who appeared to be wearing a hoodie as part of his yule ball outfit. But then he spotted a classmate at a nearby table, who was wearing something very interesting. Lucas headed over, curious, his gaze on the fancy robes the boy was wearing. "Hi." He said, realizing belatedly he'd been staring pretty obviously. "Is that what wizards wear instead of suits?" He asked, pointing to the robes. He then realized he was being a bit rude, and blushed. "Sorry, I meant to say I like it." He added quickly. "It looks fancy."

 

[Theodore Hoshino]

Teddy could feel that someone was staring at him, but avoided eye contact just in case he was wrong and the other boy had been looking somewhere entirely different. He was thrown by the question and looked at the boy in surprise. Presumably, his classmate was also a wizard, but Teddy had a sudden irrational fear that Hogwarts had enrolled a muggle by accident before he came to the obvious conclusion. Having been around magic his entire life, Teddy couldn't imagine how strange it would be to a muggleborn seeing the magical world for the first time. "Ah, thank you?" Teddy blinked and examined his classmate's own outfit. Teddy liked the simplicity of the white shirt, and thought it more suitable for the New Zealand summer than his own heavy velvet. "I like your outfit too, are suits what muggles wear?" he said, carefully. He didn't want to offend the muggleborn student by sounding ignorant, but he had little knowledge of muggle culture and was eager to know more.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas smiled when the boy thanked him for his comment, grateful that he didn't seem angry at the question that probably was kind of rude. He tugged at his own shirt a little self-consciously as he noticed the other boy looking at him, smiling when the boy said he liked it. "Yeah." He said with a nod. "Though this isn't a suit. I don't think I'm fancy enough for that." He said with a slight laugh. He hesitated for a moment. "Can I sit with you? You're in my classes, right?" He blushed. "I'm afraid I don't know your name. I don't remember." He added, admitting it upfront as he figured that would be best.