will you dance with me, will you will you will you will you ...

[Alexius Strauss]

The Yule Ball was extravagant beyond anything he had ever seen before. There was nothing in his memories that could compare, no matter how far he delved back he could not remember seeing a picture in a book or anything that looked so amazing. The whiteness was brilliant white, almost blindingly so but it was beautiful as well. The headmaster had spoken, the champions had arrived and the music was pumping. Alex had stood off to the side of the dance floor chatting up a storm with some of his mates when he caught sight of Trilby, she was gorgeous and for a moment he was tempted to go over to her when someone else caught his eye.

He did a hasty scan to see if Sebastian was with her or not but he seriously couldn't see his mate any where and as all was fair in love and war, Alex grinned and bid adieu to his mates. A shame he told himself that the punch was not laced because he could do with some dutch courage or better yet some felix felicis at this point. Walking across the now crowded dance floor he stopped before her and grinned broadly.
"You scrub up well" he spoke to her in French, knowing full well that her English wasn't so good. He certainly didn't want to start off on a bad foot, "fancy an old dance there Clemence?"

 

[Clemence Pelletier]

Clemence walked into the Yule Ball, shuffling behind her sisters and their dates. Her pale blue orbs looked down at the ground and she sighed to herself, not bothering to look up at the time that the House Elves’ work because she did not care, not one iota. This would likely have been different if she had not been so betrayed by Sebastian with Trilby but here she was, standing in a simple, lacy, white gown that somehow hid her slightly less then feminine muscles. As always, her make up was simple and her hair relaxed. Genevieve had gotten frustrated with her because she wished to spend all her time inside her dorm room reading about Herbology but of course her siblings would not let her miss out on this and wanted her to look ten times better so that Sebastian could eat his heart out.

Once the Headmaster’s words had finished and the champions dance was over, her siblings were led away and Clemence was stuck on her own and bored. Someone save me, she pleaded quietly, looking up but she heard a vaguely familiar voice, directed to her. She looked towards the boy and glared at him. Alexius Strauss was not what I meant, God, she thought bitterly, referring to her previous plead. “Have I not told you, Alexius? When I dance, I tend to step really hard on my partner’s feet, and then shoot my knee up quickly,” she said, eyeing him in a way that meant she would knee him in a sensitive area. She smirked at him and crossed her arms against her chest.

Dress.

 

[Alexius Strauss]

Alex listened to her as she described how she danced and he took her seriously for a moment, wondering where she had learned how to dance then wondering if she simply had a strange quirk that made her leg spasm upwards. It was only a moment but it did finally dawn on him what she was implying she'd do to him if she were to dance with him. He could walk away but where was the fun in that?

"You know you look devilishly cute when you stand like that but I bet you'd look cuter on my arm out dancing. I'll stand back a bit so your knee won't get hurt or my feet" he winked at her, "come on Clemence you didn't come to this thing to be like a wallflower did you?"
He held his hand out to her hoping she'd accept it this time.

 

[Clemence Pelletier]

Clemence sighed softly as Alexius asked her to dance again and wondered if he would back down if she refused again. “I suppose there is no chance that you’ll leave if I say no again, correct?” she asked him flatly. Perhaps dancing with him and looking like she was having any type of fun at all would just stick in Sebastian’s craw. That was why she had come anyway, right? Or why her sisters had made her come. Maria tended to think that the Strauss boys were the best that the school had boy-wise, perhaps other people shared this view and some jealousy would come from Sebastian, well if he was there, she honestly had no idea if he was attending now.

“Fine,” she said, with a sly smile in her eyes but a perfectly lady-like one dancing on her lips as she took his hand gently. As they walked onto the dance floor, Clemence asked Alexius curiously, “Do you often irritate girls until they do things with you?” She of course had meant dancing or helping him with various tedious tasks that no one wanted to do, or kiss him and was rather ignorant of the fact that it could be taken further then that.

Sorry for the tiny godmod, I thought it'd be best to move it along.

 

[Alexius Strauss]

"You're right beautiful, there's no chance at all that I'm leaving here without you on my arm" he grinned at her. She was beautiful, devastatingly so but she was also one of the smartest girls he knew bar Kiedis and maybe two others. There was something as quirky about her as he knew there was about himself. Ever since the day he had come across her talking alone with Sebastian in the great hall he had wanted to just hang out with her more but that had always come to nothing because herself and Sebastian had been inseparable. Almost as bad as he had been with Trilby. Well, tonight he was no where near her and Alex was not leaving her side for even a moment incase his friend got in there.

As he glanced around to see just where Sebastian was, a small smile broke across his face as he spotted him sitting with Kiedis and then he heard Clemence saying fine. Taking his hand even, Alex looked at her and wondered at the smile she was giving him but didn't comment on it. Instead he just walked with her to the dance floor. For now the music was a steady upbeat number so they didn't even have to stand too close to one another or touch for that matter, as no one else on the dance floor seemed to be but Alex refused to let go of her hand now that he had it. She could run off in a second otherwise.

"Why... am I irritating you?" he smiled down at her, his hazel eyes drinking her in, "What would you like to do with me?" this time his smile was decidedly cheeky and the glint in his eye was devilish to say the least.

 

[Clemence Pelletier]

Clemence glared at Alexius at his cheeky words. “Dancing with you, Strauss, is repulsive enough,” she smirked icily, looking into only his eyes with doom in hers. Her attitude even surprised herself, but she scoffed it off before glancing over her shoulders at the other students on the dance floor. For a professional gymnast, it was strange but she knew not how to dance like all others did. The only kind of dancing Clemence Cybille Pelletier knew had to do had complicated flips between them and were barely dance moves. She looked back at Alexius and sighed inaudibly to herself as she danced rather uncomfortably to the beat with him. She certainly was not going to dance like some of the girls were, they looked like a good set of scarlet letters and that was not who she was.

Clemence's cheeks burned wildly at how horribly she was dancing. Why on Earth did she have to accept his offer and embarrass herself... well embarrass herself to those that actually could see her because she knew that she was basically invisible to the whole school and she had always wanted attention but now that she had any sort of it, she wanted to go back into the comfortable shadows.

 

[Alexius Strauss]

Alex chuckled and placed a hand over his left side pretending to look all affronted.
"You've wounded me right to the heart" swiftly and comically he moved his hand to the correct side placing it over the very organ he spoke of but winking at her as he did so.
They continued to dance but he noticed she didn't seem very keen on it and wondered if she danced much at all. Looking upwards he saw Trilby and Sebastian crossing the dance floor and smiled that the two were together and maybe would actually sort themselves out once and for all, so he turned back to look at Clemence and shaking his head moved a step closer to her.

His free hand he wound about her tiny waist while he moved their joined hands out a small bit at shoulder height as if he were going to waltz with her.
"This might be easier for you" his tone held none of the earlier joviality in it but seemed serious and composed. He wanted her to enjoy her night and he wanted her to enjoy dancing with him, somehow knowing that if she spotted the other two together she would get upset.

 

[Clemence Pelletier]

Clemence smiled at Alexius’ comical relief, which somehow managed to subdue her anger with the entire population of Beauxbatons Academy. Of course, this did not mean she did not think that this Strauss boy was not inappropriate and that he meddled his way where he did not belong, but at least he was enjoying himself and that she liked about him, or she thought she did.

As Strauss seemed to notice that she was a rather dreadful dancer, or what she thought was what he noticed Clemence blushed softly. “A little bit. Sorry, I um have never actually gone to one of the dances before,” she admitted apologetically to the boy who she smiled meekly up at. It was strange, but for a girl that could do a grande jete on command, could not follow a beat for her life. “Strauss,” she began softly, unsure what she was going to say completely, but she went with it nonetheless. “You are not so horrible when you are not around Sebastian or trying to flirt with me. Eh, keep up it?” Clemence’s French words melted into English, but was a bit of a mix up of what she had intended to say, or the order she had meant to say it, but the girl grinned brightly up at Alexius. She was quite proud of herself for teaching it to herself, perhaps by the end of the school year when she moved her things to New Zealand she would know how to speak the language with a little more fluidity.

 

[Alexius Strauss]

Alex felt his heart race off on another tangent altogether when she didn't pull away or didn't knee him in his most private of regions. He had seriously expected her too but was seriously glad when she didn't. Of course he felt bad that Sebastian would think he was a turn coat, a fiend for back stabbing him but Alex truly believed that if Sebastian just gave the matter serious thought for five minutes he'd realize just how much he preferred Kiedis to any other girl. Alexius was being mercenary in all this of course. He genuinely liked Clemence and simply knew that in time Sebastian would have realized where his true feelings lay and then the girl in his arms would have been crushed needlessly. Though it seemed that she was that way already, at least she might get over Rossi quicker now than what she might have had, if they had gone steady for a while. Alex's hand pressed against her lower back as if warding off any one else who might get close enough to try to hurt her.

It was uncanny, Alex played the field so often and for so long. Had dated a ton of girls but all for laughs and it was this waif before him who was driving him crazy. The very girl who could barely stand to be around him. She smiled up at him and the hand that had held the small of her back lifted up to gently move a strand of hair from her face before returning to her back again.
"I'm glad to hear you don't think I'm horrible all the time" he grinned at her, that was a good thing wasn't it? It was a frisson, a nugget to hold on to that she might actually begin to like him.

He wanted to hold her closer but didn't risk it, happy as he was looking at her and dancing with her she was just angelically beautiful. Someone he could only aspire to attain but never hope to gain. Clemence felt as light as a feather in his arms so with a smile he gently and very carefully lifted her up a fraction so that her feet rested on the front of his feet.
"Now you tell everyone you stomped on my feet on purpose" he winked at her as he continued to move her around the dancefloor with ease, "are you learning English then? You know I could help teach you." the thought appealed to him , time alone with her appealed to him big time.

 

[Clemence Pelletier]

Clemence glanced down at their feet as she messily danced with him, in truth now she was relieved that she and Sebastian no longer had any chance of anything for she would have embarrassed herself in front of her crush. But instead, it was just Alexius and she could not stand his company so it mattered not to her. However, as his hand found her lower back her cheeks reddened and she flicked her pale blue eyes up at him before back down at their feet.

Now looking up at Alexius, with calmer cheeks, Clemence pressed her eyebrows together as he moved a strand of her blonde hair away. Now she was confused, was he doing the same thing Sebastian had done to her? Or was she another conquest? Either way, she did not want it and it took all her effort not to glare at him. But her anger slowly subsided, staying angry with someone was not something she did easily and that included Alexius Strauss for some reason. Perhaps it was the smile on his face or the strange look in his eye, but right now she did not want to be mad at him.

As Strauss lifted her lightly off the ground, Clemence looked at him curiously, before rolling her eyes softly at him and his request as she felt her feet on his. She felt like a little child once more when her father had put her on his shoes at social gatherings and danced with her while she was more distracted with the pretty gowns of the guests. Now, however, Clemence was not dancing with her father and was not distracted by dresses, instead she was too embarrassed at her ability - or lack thereof - for this simple task but she played it off as smoothly as she could. “I promise I will,” she said with a smirk draped on her simple face as she leaned in subtly closer to Strauss.

“I was, I find no reason to anymore,” she answered honestly, the only real reason she had tried to learn any of the horribly difficult language was to appease her mother and to show her that when she moved to New Zealand with her family (even for just that one year) that she would be able to converse with others. But of course, what had originally appealed to her was spending time with Sebastian, which had been interrupted by people every time they had tried, well… except for that one time in the forest. “If you’d like to,” she said unnervingly, “it matters not to me.”

Should I make another topic?

 

[Alexius Strauss]

He chuckled when she spoke to him, for someone so small and who looked like an absolute angel she had the tongue of a viper. He didn't mind at all that she directed it at him, Alexius was seldom talked to like this by girls. They either fell like fools for him or simply ignored him but none of those could hold a candle to Clemence. She was different in every aspect and he liked that alot.

Her words did startle him though and he tilted her chin gently to look at her properly.
"What does matter to you?" he asked her not noticing at first how the music took on a whole different beat until he was jostled roughly and nearly slammed into Clemence. His arm went about her protectively and he held her against him as other students jumped and flung themselves about like monkeys.

Alexius gazed down at her and determined to spend more time with her was not about to give her up now. Taking her hand and keeping her close as he pushed his way through the crowd of dancers, Alexius made a decent enough path for them to pass through unscathed until they reached the doors of the Grande Salle.

"Walk with me?" he could have simply continued walking out the door with her but didn't want to upset her or cause her to worry unduly. He also thought she might want to let her sisters know she was leaving the hall, so would give her whatever time she needed providing she did not let go of his hand.


[yeah we can go to new topic now ]

 

[Clemence Pelletier]

As Alexius’ hand tilted her chin up, a sharp need for air pressed through Clemence’s body. She was not sure what was going on but she was suddenly afraid and anxious in his arms. As their gaze met, she nearly let out a sigh of relief; his question was not aggressive and was not something that threatened her hatred for him. But not knowing how to answer his question, she closed her eyes and gently moved her head so he would put his hand back were it had been. Only as she opened her mouth to answer this question, she noticed that she was very close to being bumped into, so she curled her arms around his midriff.

Clemence pulled away carefully as Strauss looked down at her, before her hand was held in his and they made their way quickly through the crowd. As they went through the crowd she could have sworn she caught a glimpse of Sebastian’s blonde hair and she scoffed to herself angrily before she looked down at her hand as it was held by Alexius Strauss’. As they reached the doors, she nearly laughed at how strangely everyone was dancing. “And I thought I was bad,” she muttered quietly, before looking back to Strauss at his question.

The blonde girl pursed her lips before nodding her head slowly. “On one condition, can I have my hand back?” Clemence squeezed Strauss’ hand as a thank you of sorts for saving her twice, once from loneliness and then from the frantic crowd of students. Then, the prefect let his hand free, expecting him to do the same with her own.

has been started.