Closed Warm Festivities

[Hester MacGillivray]

Hester loved school dances, and she was particularly over the moon about this year's dance, face lighting up as soon as she entered the Great Hall. The warm sunlight reminded her of playing on the beach with her brothers late on Christmas evenings, falling asleep in the sand and being carried back to the car when it all got too tiring for her. So many wonderful family memories, and now she would make new memories with her classmates. She made her way over to the snack table and grabbed a couple of sausages and a slice of pav, devouring them happily as she looked around, seeing if there were any familiar faces nearby to say hi to.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah really did not want to go to the dance. She was used to doing things she didn't want to do but somehow this felt so much worse. With out the blind dates coordinated by clubs she had ended up dateless while both Brooke and Ivy were both with partners. She already felt out of place and behind when it came to relationships but she didn't need to spelled out so blatantly. But despite all that the embarrassment of not going to the ball would be worse. So she put on a cute outfit and made and appurtenance. Delilah did her best to hold her head up high and noticed Hester also by herself. She seemed to be having go good time and she felt insanely jealous as she watched the easy way she carried herself. "You seem to be enjoying yourself." she said with as tentative smile as she approached the other girl. She wasn't sure why that was what she decided to open with but there was no going back now.

 

[Hester MacGillivray]

Looking around the room, Hester was thrilled when she saw Delilah approaching. She gave the Ravenclaw a friendly smile as she approached, quickly wiping a stray smear of cream off her cheek. "Yeah!" Hester beamed, setting her empty plate down on a nearby table. "Dances are so much fun, aren't they? I can't wait to get out on the floor." Hester grinned. "You look great by the way, that skirt is beautiful! Are you enjoying the dance?"

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah took a deep breath and tried to keep down the second hand embarrassment she felt as she watched Hester wipe her face. She could hear a voice that sounded like her mother scoffing at the sight. She did her best to ignore it and push forward with a pleasant smile. "They are." she answered with a nod of her head that she hoped made up for her less than enthusiastic sound of her voice as she glanced around the hall. She usually did like the ball but the change of decorations on top of everything else felt a little overwhelming. Delilah felt her heart race a bit at Hester's flurry of compliments and she looked down at her outfit. It wasn't anything special and she was sure the other girl was just being nice. "You look nice too." she said with a smile. "I like you did something bold. Wearing pants. It's kind of cool" she added awkwardly. She was trying to explain herself but she wasn't sure if it was helping much.

 

[Hester MacGillivray]

Though she was used to the Ravenclaw's sometimes flat demeanour, Hester couldn't really tell if Delilah was actually happy to be here or not. But she was here and they were chatting, so Hester knew she had to do the best she could to make sure Delilah enjoyed the ball. She beamed when the other girl complimented her outfit, swishing her coat happily. "Thanks! I wanted to be able to dance properly, and suits are fun. Dresses are fun too, obviously, but..." She shrugged, smiling. "Felt like a suit kind of year. Hey, do you wanna dance?" She added, taking Delilah's hand excitedly. "I haven't danced with anyone yet, let's go!"

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah smiled and let out an unexpected giggle as Hester showed off her outfit. Absentmindedly. she covered her face with her hand and did her best not to feel lost as the other girl started to ramble. She wasn't used to how quick she talked or jumped conversation topics. Delilah was and struggled to keep up and was caught off guard when Hester asked her to dance. "Oh I don't-" she began to say but was being pulled by her hand before she could protest any farther. She looked around the hall as they made their way to the dance floor and tired to see if anyone she knew was watching. It was one thing to chat but dancing with Hester felt like a much bigger deal. She knew Ivy wasn't a fan of the other Gryffindor and she could only imagine what Brooke would think. She tried to take a deep breath and relax, maybe even dance a little but it felt like the room was suddenly shrinking around her. "Hester, I don't think I feel like dancing." she tried to say but her voice felt small and the music seemed so loud.