We're Alone Now

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire had been feeling nervous about this day, been feeling nervous about this evening, she was excited for it, it was the first time they would attending the Yuleball together, and she couldn't wait to see Jean, but in the same way they had to be oh so careful with this night, they had to watch their backs and ensure that no one found out about what they really were. She knew that she would likely have a better time hiding that he would, it was where they differed most she imagined in terms of their relationship, while they both realised the weight of their situation Victoire always thought that it weighed more heavily on her, though that didn't stop the growingly deep feelings she had for him. She was however excited and looking forward to spending this night with her boyfriend, to seeing him in his suit and spending time with him dressed in a perfect dress. It was a rather simple black strapless dress stopping a little above her knees, it was a soft fabric which played nicely against her pale skin and blonde hair. She thought it was a lovely dress but it also didn't stand out too much they would be able to blend into the crowd.

The girl applied the last of the nude colour lip gloss and applied magical spray to her blonde hair, ensure the waves that she'd perfected would stay in place for the evening, and while Victoire had put on a little make up, it really wasn't that much, she figured that it didn't matter how much she wore, as long as it fit perfectly with what she was wearing, and though not overly knowledgable about make up she was sure that currently it suited her and the dress perfectly. Eventually it was nearing the time to go and so after spending a moment tidying things away, most specifically her books since the term was over and she'd done as well as she had expected in her exams. Finally, Victoire slipped on her matching black heels and made her way to the common room, which was thankfully empty of people, most she assumed had already left for it. Victoire knew they had to be careful, but she couldn't wait to spend the evening dressed all fancy with her boyfriend, and she had a feeling that regardless of how the night went she would always remember it.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean Snow knew that he'd chosen wisely as he looked himself over in the mirror. Satisfied, he headed for the door, eager to get his evening underway. All was quiet. He and Victoire had planned things this way, hoping that taking their time would mean fewer people in their house sticking around. As he stepped into the common room, Jean spotted Victoire right away. She was the only person in the room. Even if she hadn't been, he'd have spotted her. There was no way to describe her but..."Gorgeous" he greeted her, wanting to grab her and pull her into a kiss but not daring to do so. If Jean had needed to be on his best behavior for the Halloween Feast, today he needed to be postively angelic. It was a tall order that he had asked for, but Victoire had made quite a few accommodations for him.

He held out his hand, not sure if she would take it but hoping that she would. Once she stood, Jean was able to get a better look at her dress, admiring the fit and how much older it made Victoire look. He'd ordered a gift for her and had wrapped it and handed it to a house elf, ordering the creature to place it by her bed while they were all at the ball. It was a magical camera, so she could take pictures whenever she wanted. Victoire barely looked like a teenager this evening, and he wished he'd thought to have given her the gift beforehand. Now would've been the perfect opportunity to use it. "Should we head down?" he asked, gesturing towards the door. Following her lead, Jean headed down towards the Great Hall. He hoped to run into some of his quidditch team or even Archie and Orwell so he could pull them into a picture.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire was pretty happy when Jean emerged from the dorms and greeted her with a compliment and she couldn't help the light blush that came to her lips so apparent against her pale cheeks, Jean looked good, and she had to say if they were able to be openly a couple then they would easily match in outfits. She got to her feet and took his hand, "You look gorgeous too," the prefect replied with a small smile, she knew they had to be careful but she also wanted to have fun. The teen nodded her head and kept her hand in his as they walked out the room and all the way down to the Great Hall, they walked in companionable silence, and she enjoyed the feeling of his hand in hers, it definitely felt so good to be able to do such a thing, a very rare occurrence, and Victoire made a slightly more visible show of going down the stairs and requiring Jean's assistance, all to ensure that they wouldn't get caught.

Finally Victoire realised that they were at the hall and as soon as she'd gone down the last of the steps she somewhat reluctantly let go of his hand, a slightly lingering feeling followed by a cold feeling in her hand as she walked in, it didn't really need to be done, she'd take his hand again when they were able to dance, but for appearances it was only during those moments that they could do such a thing. She took the led, walking beside him and into the hall, she turned and grinned lightly at him waiting till they were enough in the various crowds of the room, to take his hand again, leading him straight out to the dance floor, wasting absolutely no time, the room was so busy already but she found a spot easily and turned to face him so they could dance, a smile clear on her face. She was glad they were at this together, even if unable to say they were, Victoire was glad they'd worked this out, she'd compromised for this.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

This plan to arrive at the party late was pretty solid as they were able to walk hand-in-hand down the seven flights of stairs to the main floor. Victoire played her part well, the damsel in need of help walking in her heels, and he played his, the polite gentleman who simply couldn't leave a lady in need. They didn't encounter very many people at all, the few they did were younger students who probably no idea who they were. Still, they played it safe, and he reluctantly let go of her hand as they were across from the open Great Hall doors. It was Victoire who pulled away first, unsurprisingly. Following her as she led them inside, Jean was surprised at just how crowded the room was. He knew that the ball was popular, but there seemed to be even more people than usual. The Gryffindor was happy about that, knowing it'd be easier for them if it was crowded. The chances that anyone would be paying attention to them was low. He'd just have to convince Victoire of that.

Jean appreciated all that she'd compromised with, and he grinned as she turned back to him. As she reached back for his hand, he linked his fingers with hers, moving onto the dance floor with her. The Gryffindor knew that it was the professors they'd have to watch out for now. All of the couples on the dance floor were either just busy having fun or trying to get as close to each other as they could without drawing the professors' attention. Jean didn't care about anyone else on the floor. As soon as they started to dance, he forgot about everyone else around. It was just him and his girl, dancing to song after song after song. There wasn't much time to talk, and it was too loud anyway. He kept a hand on the small of her back during the slower songs and linked with hers during the quicker ones. They'd be separated for the holidays, Jean was returning home, and he was determined to make the most of their night together.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire had never hailed herself a good dancer but she didn't think of herself as bad, she was as average as it came, and thankfully it didn't matter especially not when dancing with Jean, it was so easy, they twirled and swayed, jumped and shuffled whenever they needed to, the crowd of people dancing definitely made it easier to dance and hold hands, and the Gryffindor prefect could hardly take her eyes off him, she thought this was the most fun she'd had in ages and right after the end of exams. Victoire with her brother would be going back to Belgium for the holidays, they usually didn't but with her other brother still at school in England, it made sense to go there where he and most of the rest of her family were, she was almost tempted to suggest to Jean to come to visit Belgium so they could see each other but with apparition it was pointless, too obvious a thing to do, so this night and everything about it was perfect so far, and the prefect was enjoying every moment.

As the song once again changed she let out a heavy breath laughing slightly, before leaning a little into him just to be able to talk to him, "What do you say about a drink?" she offered leaning out slightly and nodding her head to where the drinks were, for that she knew that she'd have to let go of his hand, and they'd have to stand apart and she was indeed excited to dance with him, this was just a level of intimacy they never got usually the thought of leaving it for a drink wasn't the most appealing thing, and she knew she could go another few dances before really needing the drink of something. The teen didn't want to leave Jean to make all the decisions, "Or we could dance a little longer," she offered with a small smile, unable to stop herself briefly glancing at their hands, with intertwined fingers before looking back up at him. Victoire just met his gaze and smiled, waiting to hear what he might say about it, about what to do now.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

With exams over and no meetings, practices, or patrols to worry about, Jean felt positively light. It helped that things had gone so perfectly right so far. They'd made it downstairs, just able to enjoy each other's company, and now they still were. The prefect didn't think he was a great dancer, but it didn't even matter. He and Victoire fit well together and that was really what mattered to him. He knew that he'd always remember these dances and the moments when they were truly able to let loose. It was too bad that the night would eventually have to come to an end. While it was here though, he was determined to enjoy it. Nodding his head, Jean brushed a hand through his hair and tugged on her hand as he headed off the dance floor. It was easier to dance their way off, and he was reluctant to let her hand go quickly anyway.

Eventually, he had to drop her hand. Like before, the feeling was not pleasant, almost as if he'd gotten rid of some essential part of him. Jean soldiered on, his height and mass helping him to not have too much trouble getting through to the drinks table. His reputation preceded him, and younger students often stayed out of his way. Jean took advantage of this when he could, enjoying never having to wait too long in line. "What would you like, Victoire?" he turned, searching for her, not realizing that the question he'd posed might be a bit more than what it was. He reasoned that he'd offer his friend a drink. It wasn't a big deal at all. Jean knew his siblings were around this evening. He couldn't see his sisters passing up the opportunity to show off. And, he couldn't see Clara letting Lucien not bring her to the ball. Still, he hadn't seen any of them yet nor had he looked. "I think I'll try the cider" he added, wondering if she would as well.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire's smile faltered ever so slightly when he had to let go of her hand, but she just rubbed the side of her arm for something to do with it. The teen was glad they were getting drinks, dancing was always such thirsty work, and Victoire had to be glad for Jean's larger stature which allowed them to push through the somewhat large crowd with ease, the younger kids moved out of their way and what would otherwise be a difficult crowd to navigate through. She took this time to look about the Great Hall, trying to spot anyone who might be a threat to their fun who might assume or put two and two together, she hoped that they wouldn't but there was no guessing for them, it was all about being careful, but from what she could see there was no one they really had to worry about, she knew that they had to be careful of a lot of people who might've otherwise hidden in the shadows of been just friends of friends to whom it might eventually reach back to the people they didn't want to know, it seemed far fetched but it didn't matter, the point was for them to just be careful.

Victoire glanced at Jean as he asked what drink she wanted and Victoire spent a moment just thinking about it, "I'll have cider too," the teen replied in French nodding at him, she waited the few moments while he took care of that, enjoying the music and the sights of the hall, she liked the yuleball, and after brushing a strand of the blonde hair from her eyes she continued to watch the hall, until Jean was back in front of her with the drink which she took gladly from him, sipping slightly on the drink, Victoire wished they could just stand close together, holding hands and doing what all the other couples were currently doing, "I should teach you Flemish, so we can really speak secretly," Victoire said in rapid French, with a light chuckle, so far she knew that the only other Flemish speaker was her brother, "Make you do even more studying,"
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Soon enough, Jean was back at Victoire’s side with two cups of cider in his hand. He had passed several couples, their arms around each other as they laughed, and he’d felt the pangs of jealousy. The Gryffindor hated that part of his relationship, the part that forced them to keep things secret. The part that led him to keep one of the better parts of his life from everyone. Jean hadn’t even told Archie or Orwell that he was dating Victoire, and outside of his brother, those were probably the two people that he was closest to in the castle. He passed one over, his free hand going into his pocket so he wouldn’t be tempted to touch her as he sipped his own drink. He listened to her speak, a quick shake of his head followed by his own chuckle. “Victoire, if I study any more, it’s going to be really hard to keep letting you get better grades than me” he stated in French, a playful grin on his face. Jean took a sip of his cider.

He glanced around the room, and seeing no one particularly watching them, he leaned a little closer. “But…if you really want me to learn Flemish” he added after a moment, “I’m game.” With that, he moved back to where he’d been standing. For Victoire, Jean would do a lot of things, even learn an extra language that he’d really only ever use with her. Doing that much work for just one use was not typical for the Gryffindor, but where Victoire was concerned, Jean usually had a different set of rules and standards. He’d even spent a little time thinking about traveling to Belgium where she’d be staying for the holidays, but he soon had to abandon the plan. Unless he planned on riding a broom the entire way, he had no way of getting there that wouldn’t be questioned. Jean’s family didn’t exactly know anyone in Belgium for him to visit.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire laughed lightly at his statement, she didn't think such a thing would ever happen, though she knew Jean was more than capable of getting grades like hers, she knew she would always get better grades, or at least she put in the work to be more likely to get better grades, Jean liked his sports, and Victoire liked her books, "Don't kid yourself," she replied taking a long sip of her drink a smile clear on her face, she couldn't help but smile at him, she enjoyed spend time with him and while they couldn't be a couple out in public but the easiness of this conversation reminded her of the time they spent in private in his dorm, or at the flat she'd stayed at while in New Zealand during the holidays. The prefect didn't think that he would ever take her up on the offer, she knew it might be more easy to talk in public so that they could remain private at all times, "Really?" she asked switching to english, really surprised that he was actually even considering to learn Flemish, a largely useless language for most people.

Victoire wanted nothing more than to be able to reach out and kiss him to be able to thank him for even considering it, but given the amount of people around them she knew she couldn't and all she could do was to slightly move one of her hands to lightly brush his, the smallest sign of affection that she could manage. This evening had despite her reservations about it faired pretty well so far, she knew she was probably being overly cautious but she knew it would be better to be like that than not and end up with Lucien or anyone finding out about them, "When we've passed our apparition test, we can wander the cities in Flanders without a care, I can give you the best tour," she told him with was all she could offer in return, "Plus, my grandparents have a beautiful house on the canal in Bruges which we can stay at together, alone, with not a care in the world," she told him speaking quietly in French a smile on her face as if confirming exactly what she was implying in her words.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean's grin was apparent behind the cup as he drank some more. He had noticed a great improvement in his grades since he'd started dating Victoire, but this education still wasn't incredibly important to him. He was still motivated to keep going for his mother, knowing she wanted to see all four of them graduating next year. He couldn't disappoint her. Hearing Victoire's surprise made Jean chuckle. He shrugged his shoulders, a jolt of electricity going through him at her touch. Now, there was a surprise. Jean looked at her quizzically wondering if she'd realized that no one was watching them and that they could be a little more reckless, a bit less calculated. "I don't think I'll be any good at learning it, but we can try" he explained.

As the conversation continued, Jean let the noise in the room dull as he focused on his girlfriend. Apparation. He was almost as excited to complete these lessons as he was to get back to quidditch. He liked floo travel well enough, but he was much too large to side-along apparate anymore. It made him feel like a baby that his mother still needed to help him. The idea of apparating with Victoire to her home had a smile on her face which brought one to his. Jean nodded his head. He'd spend so much time with her that he was sure she'd get sick of him. As she finished, Jean's blue eyes stared into hers, finally getting the subtext. "That sounds...perfect" he stated slowly in French, leaning to kiss her. He'd gotten lost in thought, lost in her. He caught himself quickly enough, stopping long before their lips met, but he feared that he'd just messed up. Badly.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire smiled at his words, she thought no matter how bad he thought he might be, she appreciated even just the effort, she knew that accommodating her and the demand to stay so very private was a little stronger than his but she liked that he was making the effort, even saying he might make the effort. The teen just smiled at her words, "I'm your teacher as long as we can stay focused I'm sure you'll manage," Victoire said quietly speaking in french to him and as she continued on the girl just knew what she was suggesting, and it had been on her mind for a little bit as she grew older, she felt like it had likely been on Jean's mind but they had to be careful, it could just be anywhere, caught like that they'd have no excuse for anything, it would be the worst way to be caught, so the fact they'd be able to apparate to a neutral, safe location and no worry about the world they lived in at all, was likely the best thing.

Victoire couldn't help but smile at his words and as he leaned into to kiss her, she almost instinctively moved to lean into the coming kiss, it seemed like for a moment she was just forgetting about the busy hall around them, and she stopped herself just as he appeared to as well, she didn't know what to do, she felt frozen in that moment, what if someone saw what would they do, maybe no one would notice she pulled away from him and laughed a little nervously, "We can't be doing that," she told him, "Not with so many people around," she wanted to be able to spend some private time with him, to kiss him easily and without worrying, and she was sure that he would too, her idea then was to go back to his dorm room for the privacy but she wondered about what he wanted, she knew there were places near the hall where they'd likely get some privacy.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean's demeanor changed at once as he looked around at the crowd, wondering if anyone had noticed them at all. He was still standing near her, but he'd turned slightly, the better to scan the area. He didn't see anyone looking exactly in their direction, but he knew that didn't mean much. The Gryffindor crumpled up his now empty plastic glass as he listened to Victoire's words. It was words he knew all too well, rules that had been put in place to protect Victoire, protect their relationship. She laughed slightly as she said the words, but it didn't stop the sting, the reminder that he should know better. The prefect couldn't help but be slightly annoyed, more at himself than at her though it'd be tough to tell without asking him specifically. He walked away then, tossing his cup into an empty wastebasket as he continued on, escaping the now annoyingly loud noise of the Great Hall for the much quieter entrance way.

Finding a more secluded spot, a small alcove, he waited for Victoire to join him. "No one's noticed" he replied curtly, his jaw tightening, choosing to believe that because the alternative was just not an option. Jean didn't know how Victoire might react if the alternative was true and someone had seen. He didn't think it would be good for him, in more ways than one. "Like I've said before, I don't think anyone cares as much as we think they do" he continued in more rapid French, emphasizing the 'we' so that Victoire would know that he really meant her. The sorry that should have crossed his lips after his mistake was not there, the teen refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing. He didn't think it'd been that big of a deal. "It's probably time we left anyway, right?" he shrugged his shoulders.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire noted the sudden change in his expression, and she didn't understand really where the anger was coming from, but followed him away from the crowd, placing her drink on a passing table just following behind him to a little alcove of the room so that they could speak far more in private than they could out in the hall. She sighed heavily as he spoke curtly, they had to be careful, they had agreed to that, and it wasn't like she really wanted to, she didn't want his family to know, she didn't want anyone to know that would try to drive them apart before they got any chance, or even to just make their lifes a living hell, and at his words she couldn't help the surprised expression pass her features, and she frowned at him, anger bubbling inside of her, Victoire brushed a hand through her hair trying to calm down.

"Jean, my family is not the one with the problem with us," she told him, "My brother isn't the one who would try to drive us apart because of your blood," she continued sharply, since while she was the one who was cautious and made sure they were careful about everything, she knew they had to be, at least for now, while they were still in the early parts of this relationship, "If he found out, I don't think he'd blink twice about what he or any of his cronies would do to us," the teen stopped herself, sighing heavily the anger so clear in her voice. Victoire folded her arms, and looked away from him, "I don't care if no one cares as much as we do, I don't want this relationship to be torn apart just because your family can't deal with you dating a mudblood," the prefect added using a word she hated to hopefully bring home the point she was making.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Just by looking at her, Jean could tell that Victoire was mad at him. He just wasn't sure if it was because of his words or because of what he'd just done. Part of him knew it was both. As she spoke, he found himself crossing his arms as he stared over her head, hearing her words as he looked at a suit of armor parked at the base of the stairs. There wasn't much he could refute. His family was the problem. Jean knew exactly what they'd do to Victoire, to him too, if they found out that this going on between him and Victoire was more than just a rumoured romance.

"Enough" he allowed the word to drag out, hating that they continously came back to this. They never seemed to get too far away from this argument, really it was all they ever argued about, and Jean was more and more annoyed each time they had it even though he knew it was her concern that made her so vigilant. He hated the position he was in, wanting to defend both his family and Victoire but unable to defend either one. "I'm tired of worrying about my family when I'm trying to be with you" he grumbled, his blue eyes shifting. He reached for her hand. "No one noticed" he repeated, his gaze serious as it rested on her.

 

[Avie Mitchell]

Avie did love the yuleball, he had no dressed overly fancy and was in his own little world, having spent time with the ghosts and thoroughly enjoyed such a thing, since he thought them pretty amazing. Avie had left them, completing his work for the Accio yearbook, and spending a little time with his intern to help show her how to do it, his camera was pretty sticky by this point and he was enjoying the hum of the large crowd, the beat in the music, the laughter, he had not managed to spot Lucien at all, and he thought the boy might turn up eventually. Avie wasn't sure, every time he thought he spotted Lucien, all he'd spotted was Jean and it always frustrated him not finding his friend, it had been on a particular occasion as he'd been taking a picture of some of the drinks when he'd noticed Jean leaning into the girl he was wife, the other prefect, Victoire or something complicated that he could barely say. The teen noted that he had the same face that Lucien made whenever he was about to kiss Clara.

Avie minded his own business but then watched as they walked away, he wondered if they were going to play hide and seek, that's what Lucien always said, Avie was never allowed to play this hide and seek for some reason, no matter how much he asked to play, his bestie always adament that he couldn't play, since he thought that Jean would be easier to sway into playing he decided to try his luck with that twin. He carefully went to the alcove they'd gone to and walked straight inside, seeing Jean take Victoire's hand just as he walked in, "Found you!" he exclaimed brightly smiling at them both also in part trying to show how good he was at the game, "Are you playing hide and seek, like Lucien and his girlfriend do after they kiss in front of me, I'm never allowed to play, but I want to, can I play with you guys? I promise I'm really good,"
​

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire knew it was annoying to always come back to the same annoying argument, the same points they always had, they were only ever able to linger so far away from this, not far enough away to forget and she knew that Jean realised the huge impact anyone finding out would have, it was something she knew they'd have to stress to their respective younger siblings who had seemed to take a liking to one another, if they were anything more than just friends. She liked Jean, she really did and this was just such a frustrating complication they could do nothing about, it wasn't like his family just because of them was going to budge. She hated having this argument really, she hated stressing it to him, she hated that she didn't think most of the time that he was taking it as seriously as she did. The teen sighed heavily, just as he said enough, there was no way they should ruin what had otherwise been a good evening with him.

Victoire wanted to apologise about what she said even if she'd meant it. She wanted to apologise for everything she'd done, she was concerned for them, and she knew he would respect that, but the Gryffindor teen had to agree, she too was tired of worrying about his family when they were together, she like him wanted nothing more than to kiss him happily in front of everyone, to enjoy his embrace and be able to walk the halls hand in hand, "I know," was her way of agreement to what he was saying and felt almost certain that no one had noticed, confident enough to take his hand as he reached out, trusting him. However, as she seemed to make a move to lean in to kiss him, she was startled to a stop when a boy spoke. Victoire glanced round and felt her heart drop, listening to his words made her feel like he didn't know what they were doing but equating them to Lucien and his girlfriend meant he might just have a small idea, and this was bad, being caught by Lucien or Jean's sister would be awful, but this boy was Lucien's best friend, in that instant she let go of his hand and looked to Jean to fix it, unable to find the words to say to this boy.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

The worst of their argument seemed to be over, at least for now, and Jean could feel the anger leaking away from him as Victoire leaned in to kiss him. He froze though, the voice that'd just entered the alcove a very unwelcome one. Their hands dropped away from each other, but it was far too late. As Avie explained that he wanted to play with them, Jean realized that he was learning far more about his brother's love life than he wanted to. If the situation hadn't been so grave, Jean might have even chuckled, storing the information for when it might be useful to him. At the moment though, he was desperately trying to figure out a way to explain what they'd been doing in a way that would make Avie never, ever mention this to Lucien or any of his other friends. He looked to Victoire, eyes desperately hoping for help, but she was looking at him as if she expected him to deal with this. Well, hell, he thought to himself, hoping he'd figure something out.

"Avie, buddy" Jean greeted the guy he always thought of as younger despite them being the same age. He put his arm around Avie. "We're both really, really bad at hide and seek" he rolled his eyes because they really were horrible at hiding. "I was actually, uh...helping Victoire find her contacts. Yea. It's this little piece of glass that muggles put into their eyes. Weird, right?" he rambled, half hoping that Avie had heard of them. "Anyway, I only just found it behind that curtain there and I was just you know making sure it was in right because it's what a prefect would do, right?" Jean glanced over at Victoire. "I mean if you really want, now that she's all good, we'll play a quick game of hide and seek with you?" he offered. "But, you have to promise me you won't mention any of this to Lucien. I don't want him to get upset for not being the first one to play hide and seek with you and if you tell him about Victoire's um contacts, he'll find out about this game and be really upset. I know it" he finished, his voice solemn.