Halloween Masquerade Ball

Ted smiled and watched her as she ate her cheesecake, which she seemed to enjoy very much. He found himself unable to do anything but look at her, as though he was afraid it was just a dream and that as soon as he'd look away, she'd simply disappear or he'd wake up - it wouldn't have been the first time either. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that this was real and that she was there, sitting beside him, talking to him with her sweet voice which sent shivers through his whole body, he couldn't help the doubt that lingered in his mind. He knew that this dream would sooner or later be thorn apart, one way or another - her sisters would make sure of that. But as he realized that, he also realized that he'd better enjoy it while it last as he couldn't know when he'd have a chance to talk to her again, if ever. Looking at her from far was much different than being this close to her. He could almost feel the warmth from her body, and her scent sent clouds of confusion twirling through his mind. She was simply perfect, just like an angel. How could an angel have been born to such a family, he did not know, but by some mysterious way it had happened.

As she spoke, he listened to her intently, his eyes locking on hers once more as a light grin appeared on his face. "Now that is good to know," he said in a teasing manner. "Perhaps I would have tried to prank you, but knowing that you are good at getting your revenge, I will make sure that I do not attempt any kind of prank on you," he added, his grin widening slightly. As if he'd ever even try to prank her... "I promise," he said with a false air of solemnity, pressing his hand to his heart and bowing his head lightly. "Why would anybody want to attack such a lovely young lady, however, leaves me completely clueless." He grinned charmingly at her, leaning in slightly closer.

He smiled and shook his head lightly as she help up her fork with a bit of cheesecake on it. "No, thank you," he said. "I am not feeling hungry at the moment." Not for cakes anyway, he thought to himself as his eyes lingered on her full lips longer than they should have. He teared his eyes away from her figure so that he could regain his senses, shutting his eyes lightly and opening them again to look at the students who were dancing and laughing madly, stepping on their partner's feet or tripping over their own. He looked back at her a few moments later only to see that she was now done eating. He smiled and got back to his feet, moving so that he was standing in front of her, holding out a hand for her to take if she wished.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, his heartbeat speeding up lightly at the mere thought of holding her body close to his.

Sirius stood there with Dory, and the two strangers, one hand secured inside one of the pockets of his slacks. His hand was fiddling with the small vial he had brought along with him for one of the nights festivites. His brown gaze scanned the area for any sign of his best friend James, no doubt his little show earlier would be fresh in his mind as he looked to retaliate in full force. But he was no where to be seen, and even if he was here, how would he know who he was? A slight shrug would follow, as it was, he knew he would recieve payback, when and where was the question however. Deciding not to dwell on the matter any longer he returned his attention back to the conversation he was a part of. Only what he heard wasn't exactly what expected and with raised brows and a wuick step back he was shocked to hear such a thing about himself. Him lacking? Now this was news to him, and it was almost enough to make him burst into a fit of laughter that would make him look insane. Whoever this friend was of this Goddess obviously had no clue what she was talking about, Sirius Black lacked in nothing, well maybe a slight inability to pay attention to things that he found boring, other than that however, he considered himself a pretty smooth operator.

No doubt Dory's curiousity was struck upon hearing this absurd piece of information, and decided to question it further. 'Women', he thought to himself, as he smiled looking back and forth between the two. Their vampire costumed acquaintence seemed to have decided not to speak any further so Sirius decided he would take off and engage in another of his plans. "Well ladies, it's been fun chatting but I have a bit of business to take care of, so I'll take my leave for a few moments." As he spoke he gave a friendly nod to each of the guests, and then placed a soft kiss to the back of Dory's soft hand. "And you, I shall see very soon."

After giving his farewell Sirius turned on his heel and pushed his way through the crowded room back over towards the refreshment table. His grin uncontrollably running across his lips again, and the look of mishief in his eyes. Finally making his way to the table Sirius began pulling out the small vial he had concealed in his pockets, but an unexpected visitor was standing there eating a scrumptous looking piece of chocolate cake. A small cringe hit his features as he slowed his pace and made his way up next to the exotic looking woman, he wasn't quite sure what her costume was or what she was supposed to be, but it did look lovely, as did everyone he has seen thus far. As he approached Sirius removed his hand from his pocket and brought it up to his mask making sure it was still secured safely. It was. Coming to a stop just a few short feet from the stranger Sirius placed his other hand on the table, supporting his weight as he leaned onto it. A nod of his head would follow before he spoke, "Better be careful there miss. Wouldn't want to stain that dress would we?" A small laugh followed as he watched her take a bit of the cake. "Very exquisite looking gown, so what are you supposed to be?"

Lily leaned on the table lightly, eating her cake happily as she looked around the room, examining the other student's costume, trying to guess who was who - in her bored mind, it seemed like a rather good game to play at the moment. However, she was not being very lucky. Most of the students looked different from what they usually did and she could not recognize any of them. Frowning lightly as she searched in her mind to remember who walked like this and who talked like that, her eyes fell on a red haired fairy and she smiled. Not many people in Hogwarts had flashing red hair like that, apart from herself obviously, so she assumed the young fairy was Molly Prewett. Accordingly, the person dressed as a Greek Goddess who was standing next to her was probably Karen Rosmerta as the two girls were practically always together. Proud with herself as she had guessed two people's identity - or at least she hoped so - she smiled and took another bite of her chocolate cake, sighing lighty as every time she ate more, there was less left on the plate, as though that was not a common occurance when eating food. Of course, she could always take another piece when she'd be done with this one, but now that would be a little piggy to eat two pieces right after the other. Maybe she would come back later for more... happy with that decision, she smiled and slowly chewed on her cake.

As she was almost done eating, a boy dressed as the Phantom of the Opera walked closer to her. She noticed that he slowed down when he was a few feet away from her but resumed on walking and stood beside her, resting his hand on the table and leaning over it. She listened as he spoke, obviously to her as no other girl were around. "Black clothes are rather hard to stain," she remarked, tilting her head slightly and trying to guess who he was. His voice seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite decide who it belonged to. His face was only half hidden by his mask but it was enough to give him a whole different look. As he complimented her costume and asked what it was, she gave a small smile and took another bite of her cake. "A flamenco dancer," she said once she had swallowed. "I have always been fascinated by latin dances, and the clothes they wear are always gorgeous looking. I figured this Masquerade was a good opportunity to dress as one."

The mention of dance brought back memories to her mind as a light smile appeared on her lips. Dancing always reminded her of those times when she was a child and her father would watch dance contests on television with her, not truly excited about it but only to make her happy. She always commented the latin dances more than any other, saying that one day she would be among those who participated to those contests. Every time, they would end up in the middle of the living room, her own feet secured on her father's as he swayed her around the room. She shook her head lightly to chase the memory away, not that it was an unpleasant one, but she didn't want to be rude to whoever was standing beside her. "You are wearing quite a nice costume yourself," she said. "Are you a fan of the Phantom of the Opera or is it just the costume itself you like?" she asked curiously.

As he stood there Sirius eyed the girl he was talking with intently, she did look familiar but these damn masks made it nearly impossible for anyone to tell who the others were. He could see that she herself was trying to do the same thing he was by the look on her face. He would just smile as he turned his attention to the table for a brief moment, he would stand up and reach for a mug of butterbeer. Were it not for his anticipation and eagerness to pull off his next prank Sirius would not have lingered in the spot as long as he was, but not wanting to appear rude he stuck it out and conversed freely with whoever this girl was. She was friendly enough but for all he knew she could have been one of those Slytherin prats and that wouldn't sit well with his conscience. He was thankful for these masks as that thought occured to him, however what she said next intrigued him a bit, a flamenco dancer. Now that was something he could fnd himself interested in. He hadn't go the chance to dance with Dory because of all the company the had attracted, and he himself never missed an chance to cut a rug when the oppurtunity presented itself. Another grin wiped itself across his lips, and as he finished off the butterbeer in one gulp he slammed the empty mug down on the table with a bang and stood up straight. "A flamenco dancer you say? No kidding, well what say you and I put that costume to a test eh?" His question was full of enthusiasm as it was put forth. It was a genuine question, but he couldn't deny he had an ulterior motive. Getting her away from the table so he could carry on with his prank.

He smiled as he offered his hand to escort her to the dance section of the Great Hall, it was a perfect chance to lure her away, now if only she would accept and accompany him. As he waited his free hand would be brought up and placed on his tie, he had just remembered he loosened it a bit awhile ago and acting gentlemenly like he would straighten it back up making himself more presentable. When she asked if he was a fan of the Phantom of the Opera all he could do was laugh. He had no idea what the costume he had chosen was until now, whats more, he really didn't care what he went as. He could have gone as a bloody fairy and he still wouldn't have cared, the only thing he had on his mind when the Halloween Ball was annouced was pranking. "This old thing? No, I just threw on what I could find at the last minute, to be honest, I had no clue what this costume was, but now I do!" He was a bit enthusiastic hoping she would accept his dance offer, his hand still outstretched awaiting her reply.

Remus contemplated his choices, he could walk around trying to find someone he knew, and making sure it was the person he thought it was, or he could get a refreshment, or leave. He didn't however, feel particularly like leaving.. not after he had finally worked up the nerve to show his face, well err.. his mask, in public. His brow furrowed behind the mask and below the hat, although his displeasure could be actively seen by the thinning of his lips and the slight tilt to his head. About to move forward to get something to drink or eat, he heard the clearing of a throat, and a gentle touch upon his shoulder.

At the sound of the person's voice, Remus' relaxed, the tense lines around his mouth smoothing out and his shoulder's dropping from their perfect posture. Remus knew that voice, would know it from anyones, just as he would know any of his closest friend's. A warm smile curved his lips as he turned. His eyes looked her up and down in a quick fashion, remembering the incident from earlier, he fought to keep from blushing. He covered up his nervous awkwardness with a small cough. It was odd to be called sir, and yet he played along.

"Yes, fair lady," his smile turned into a grin and his eyes alit with mischief, "My lady is about your height, beautiful as yourself, and with the most lovely eyes. You haven't, perchance, seen her? I would be forever in your debt." thus said, he gave a small bow of his head, and a tip of his hat. Remus would not usually be so daring, but it was something about hiding behind a mask that let one freely be themselves and let a certain side of their personality show that never would have otherwise.

Marlene could feel his tense body relax as she spoke up and smiled lightly, her eyes meeting his when he turned around and her knees weakening a little as her heartbeat sped up. She'd never get used to those eyes, she was sure of it. It was as though they had some kind of control over her whole being, and she was more than happy to let herself be controlled by him. It was at times like this that she wondered what kind of effect she had on him. She figured it was something normal to wonder in this case, considering he had such a powerful effect on her. She didn't want to think about what would happen at the end of the year. Wether or not they'd still be dating by then - which she most definitely hoped they would - it wouldn't go much further as soon as she'd be back home with her father. She sighed lightly and pushed the thought away - this night was suposed to be fun, and she was going to enjoy it. Besides, she didn't want him to ask any questions, now was not the time.

She looked up at him as he spoke, her cheeks turning a light shade of red as she felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach, which she decided was hunger even though she knew it was not true. She bit her bottom lip lightly, looking up at him softly as she grinned lightly. She was strangely comfortable with this small game they were playing, though she couldn't say why. Maybe it was that she was getting more comfortable with him, or perhaps the masks and costumes had something to do about it. "Well, kind Sir, it would be my pleasure to be of any assistance to you," she said, bowing her head lightly with a small cursty as an answer to his actions. "I think I might have seen her somewhere, but would you be so kind as to help me as well? For I am too looking for someone. He is about your size and he has eyes that makes me feel weak and dazzled every time I see them," she said softly. "Even a mask could not take away the effect those eyes have on me."

She could not quite believe she was talking like this and saying that, her who usually was so shy. At the thought, she felt her cheeks become very warm but she kept on smiling lightly. This evening would definitely be interesting and perhaps it would help them. They were both shy and slightly uncomfortable in each other's presence, though obviously attracted to one another. But they did not exactly ask as a couple, most of the time - people who would have looked at them would have simply thought they were friend, and sometimes Marlene found herself longing to do some of the things she had seen other couples do, like cuddling and kissing. The kiss they had shared outside the Shrieking Shack had remained the only one as to now, yet she could still feel the soft touch of his lips on hers and, even though the thought made her blush (what didn't?) she was no ashamed to say she wanted more. The number of times she had wanted to run her fingers through his shaggy hair was numerous and impossible to keep up, just like all the times she had simply wanted to feel his arms around her.

Lily couldn't help but jump lightly as he slammed down his mug on the table, almost dropping her plate of cake which was now unfortunately - sigh - empty. As he spoke and outstretched his hand, she raised an eyebrow lightly, tilting her head slightly. If she was not mistaken, that was an offer to dance. She bit her lip lightly, hesitating. She didn't know the guy, and even though she knew the purpose of this Masquerade was to make friend with strangers without knowing their identity, she didn't quite feel comfortable with the idea of dancing with someone she didn't know. There was also probably the fact that she had never really danced before with anybody else but her father, and sometimes a cousin. Point being that all the people with who she had danced had been members of her family who she felt comfortable with, and this guy, no matter how nice he seemed, gave her the feeling that she shouldn't be acting so nicely toward him - that she usually didn't act nicely toward him. And if that was the case, it narrowed the options to very few boys as she was not one to be mean to people, unless there was a very good reason.

As she eyed him curiously, she sighed lightly and inwardly shook her head at herself. After all, would one dance hurt? Especially considering the fact that she didn't know who he was and he probably didn't know who she was either, meaning that after this Masquerade, she would remain the flamenco dancer to him, and he the Phantom of the Opera to her, which apparently was an unknown character to him. She couldn't help but chuckle lightly as he said he had had no idea of what his costume was until this point. It was true that girls were much more interested in the dressing up idea of any kind of event. She gave a small smile and put her plate down on the table, not noticing it as it disappeared and reappeared on the pile of clean dishes a few seconds later. "Well... why not?" she said, standing straight as well as she took the hand he was offering her. "I guess now would be as good as any other time to do that."

He swept into the hall with a "better than now" attitide to match Sirius', red cape flowing behind him almost majestically. Of course he was late...he couldn't have arrived at the same time his blood traitor brother had...that would be simply unacceptable....He fought of a smirk when his eyes fell upon the traitor himself, twisting his face into a contorted sort of grimace. He'd never admit that he'd hated it when Sirius had left Grimmauld Place nor would he admit that he really hated what his mother was pressing him to do...better to play along with it than be exiled from everything the way Sirius was.

So, when he walked past he put as much despise in his gaze as he could muster, giving Sirius a crooked and cruel smile as he walked over to Sadira, muttering "filthy blood traitor" as he went. Then he saw her a few paces ahead of him, wearing the coustume she had said she would and he put on a grin, walking up behind her. "Fancy seeing you here." He muttered almost darkly with a dull sort of drawl to match Lucius'.

He wouldn't have come to this thing if it wern't for her. People made him...just want to kill them more. He was twisted like that, Regulus Black.

A light grin appeared on Ted's face as he saw the blush his words had caused. He listened to her amusedly, raising an eyebrow when she said she didn't believe she was lovely. "In this case, you must not see yourself very clearly," he said, softly brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen over her face, the mere touch of her skin sending shivers down his body. "But I guess you are right when saying that loveliness is not a reason not to prank someone. I suppose I am just not the kind of person to do pranks, I must lack the imagination needed for it," he added, smiling lightly. "And so, rest assured that you are safe of any bad surprises in my presence." Except when I will tell you about my family, he added in thoughts only, restraining the sigh that treatened to escape his lips. He had never been one to complain about anything really - he considered his life rather good, he loved his family very much and they were proud of him, of who he was even though he was different. But usually, when one person is different from a certain group of people, they can find another group with who they belong. In his case, Ted was different not only from his family, but also from most of his friends and school mates. Of course, there was a minority of people who were like him, and that particular different didn't matter to many people, except Slytherins. However, for the first time in his life, Ted found himself thinking that it was not fair that he should have fallen for her. Forbidden love was a very interesting thing to read about in romance novels, but much less appealing when it happened to you.

He chuckled lightly when she said that one did not need to be hungry to enjoy cheesecake. "Maybe not," he said. "But if you are not hungry or already full, you might not enjoy it as much as you would if you were hungry," he countered, an amused smile on his lips. "It does seem like a good cheesecake," he then added, grinning lightly. "Perhaps I will eat some later, right now I'd rather not eat anything." His eyes were too busy enjoying her sight for his mouth to enjoy any kind of food. Maybe something else it could enjoy, but he would not go that far, not yet.

As she took the hand he had been offering her, he felt something strange coursing through his body, a warmth he had never felt before. He smiled lightly at her when she spoke softly, her voice so sweet and dreamy that his breath got caught in his throat. Slowly, he lead her to the middle of the room where other students were already dancing. He hesitated for a second before entwining his fingers with hers and placing his free hand on her waist, pulling her slightly closer, the close proximity of her body sending clouds of confusion through his mind.

To his great suprise Sirius was very happy this young lady decided to take him up on his offer. It had to be the masks that made people throw their caution to the wind, of course Sirius himself never had any trouble being forward and flirtatious, but for some reason a lot of the others he associated himself with were. It was none of his business however, that just meant more for him in the end, and with that he would give his new friend a smile as he took her by the hand. As he began leading this flamenco dancer out to the floor with him the music had suddenly been changed to a very slow moving song, it was unexpected but he couldn't just dismiss her now, she had accepted his offer and if he were to change his mind she no doubt would head back over to the refreshment table. Mentally shrugging his mind Sirius looked down at the red headed girl he was leading onto the floor and smiled, "Guess that test is going to have wait huh?" He spoke half laughing. It was just his luck, but he had to see it through nonetheless. As he pushed through the crowd, the flamenco gowned acquaintance in hand, a familiar looking devil passed them by muttering something to himself, all Sirius caught was the tail end of the muffled speech, something blood traitor. A glare would hit his gaze as he watched the deviled student make his way to wherever he was heading and Sirius knew before the night was over with, that particular Slytherin would have more than just blood traitor to say when Sirius was through with him.


That famous grin would appear yet again at the thought as the both of them had finally reached their destination. Deciding to not waste any time Sirius took the masked girl's hands and began a slow dancing sway, making sure to keep enough distance between them to keep it friendly. He would flash a charming smile as they moved from side to side in unison with the music that was playing. It wasn't the most exciting thing he could be doing but it was necessary for him to do so he could have his fun. "What kind of music is this? These professors sure know how to throw a party don't they?" He asked adding a bit of sarcasm to the question and having to raise his voice slightly so she could hear over the awful music and the chattering lovers they were on the floor with. He then let go of one hand and spun her around rather fancy like catching her hand as she was brought back facing him. "So who's your date? Wouldn't want to get myself into any trouble, you know, stealing another man's date for the evening." He would smile and laugh lightly, he wasn't worried in the least about being in trouble, he's been in trouble so much over the years it was like any other day. Besides, these masks have proven themselves useful so far, even if she did have a date, he would no way be able to tell who he was. Smiling all the while Sirius kept his steady rhythm, wating patiently to get back to his Marauding.

Ted had to breathe deeply to make sure air still reached his lungs, his heart beating slightly faster as she put her hand on his shoulder. From that moment, he didn't even think anymore about what would happen afterward, when she would find out who he was and that they could not be together. All the problems were forgotten, only leaving place for love, for he knew he loved her now. His admiration and attraction for her had lasted so long, but it had only been that before. However, talking to her and being close to her tonight had made a new feeling appear in him, one he did not know, one that could make everything so much better, but in this case would only make it more complicated. He knew the best thing to do for now was to ignore it, until he found a way to resolve this problem. Of course, there were not many options, and the most likely one was to simply give up on her, but the mere thought was painful to him.

As he looked down at her, his eyes met hers and his heart skipped a beat, his throat tightening slightly. She had such an effect on him it was almost unbelievable. How could one simple look, one simple touch make him feel that way? Her hand in his felt so incredibly soft and warm, as though it fitted perfectly there, and he never wanted to let go of it - he never wanted to let go of her. Unconsciously, he pulled her slightly closer though not too much for he did not want to go too fast for her. He could not help but wonder what it would be like to kiss her. Would her lips feel as soft and warm as her hands? Or maybe even softer, maybe warmer. He could feel his heartbeat speeding up a little at the simple thought, his eyes still looking deep inside hers and he wanted to kiss her more than even. Instead, he lifted her hand to his face and kissed it lightly, thinking that for now it would do just fine, but the urge of pressing his own lips against her sweet ones would just not go away.

Lily followed him as he lead the way to the dance floor, not feeling all that comfortable but chasing away the feeling with a shrug. After all, it was not as thought this dance was gonna last forever. Besides, whatever happened, she reminded herself that he did not know who she saw or even in which house she was. He, however, seemed very familiar to her, and it was almost starting to feel frustrating that she should not be able to place a name on his face. Well... masked face. Either way, she was convinced that she knew who he was, and that she saw him every day as well. Maybe he was a Gryffindor? She was almost sure that he couldn't be a Slytherin - a Slytherin wouldn't have offered her to dance without knowing her identity, not wanting to risk dancing with a muggle born, which she was. As they passed a person costumed as a Devil, Lily heard a few muffled words, not understanding them, but apparently he had as his eyes glared at the retreating Devil. Whatever it was that had been said, it was apparently not good. Lily sighed and shrugged - it was none of her business anyway.

As they got to the dance floor, she was more than glad to find that he was trying to keep a reasonable distance between them - if dancing with a stranger wasn't too bad, being too close to him would perhaps be a problem to her. She was not an overly shy girl, but there were still things that made her feel uncomfortable. She raised an eyebrow at him as he spoke up, shrugging lightly. "They must have decided it was the best kind of music for everybody to be able to dance on it," she suggested, not really caring. Then, as he asked who was her date, she had to keep herself from laughing. If she did have a date, she probably wouldn't be dancing with a stranger at this precise moment, but with the said date which was non-existant. "I don't have one," she said, tilting her head slightly. "So you can relax, nobody will beat you up for dancing with me," she added. "What about you, don't you have a date? Why aren't you dancing with her?" she asked curiously.