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the elegant rachel m. corner ([info]malengled) wrote in [info]valesco_history,
@ 2009-07-13 17:08:00


Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:caradoc dearborn, derek dobbs, edward pennifold, evan rosier, giada vance, graciela cervantes, graeme dorny, group, mackenzie loftus, matilda rowle, rachel englewood, sebastian goldstein

1976 Christmas Party!
Entertaining came naturally to Rachel Englewood. If you knew her, in fact, she'd sultrily tell you that many things came naturally to Rachel Englewood, including being the center of attention, being able to produce a good time for anyone out of any circumstances, and throwing the best, most elegant parties. Perhaps it was the French flair inherited from her mother, or her simple determination to be the best, brightest, and most affluent, but parties were her forte, and that needed no explanation. The seventeen-year-old balked at the prospect of her last year in school passing by without so much as hosting a lavish high tea! Successful events were not borne out of nothing, however, and the sly brunette mulled over the various occasions which might warrant celebrating. Debutante balls had come and gone early in the summer, and regardless of how successful hers was, it was a new season, and therefore a blank slate. Winter proper was fast approaching and with it, the perfect holiday; after all, what better occasion to go all out for, than Christmas? Thus, their graduating year was, fortunately, not void of any contributions to the social calendar by Miss Englewood, who was fully confident that the Christmas of 1976 would be remembered by all.

Having gone through great lengths to ensure her parents would be unreachable for the duration of the party, such as packing them off to Canada in the form of an early Christmas present they had to take advantage of before her father's work detained him (naturally, she had taken special care to double-check dates with his secretary, to avoid potential conflict), the lack of supervision allowed the girl to plan what she wanted in peace. She need only have contended with the House-Elf, whom she had sworn to secrecy, and the other help, which had been given paid leave for the duration.

By five-thirty in the evening, everything had been set. Food aplenty was scattered amongst elegantly draped tables, and though the girl looked down on alcohol as a harbinger of bad attitude, it was found amongst the drinks. The drawing room was dimly lit by the roaring fire, which cast its orange glow against all the walls. A large, decorated tree towered near to the high ceiling in one corner, the fire glinting off the glass trinkets hanging from the limbs. Classic Christmas cheer was rampant in every corner, and there was little Rachel found disagreeable as the soft strains of the WWN's holiday program lilted across the expansive room. The hostess herself was decked in elegant black dress robes, the short length of which was a pervasive style that she could not come to an opinion on, but tried, nevertheless. As was written clearly on the invitations, formal dress was the only acceptable attire and it was for the benefit of everyone that they heed the warning. By six-thirty, guests began arriving, and the soirée crept towards its crescendo.

Wrapping a curl around her finger, the one physical vice her mother had never quite beaten out of her, she took a moment to stand back and survey the goings-on of the class of 1977, goblet of pumpkin juice in her unoccupied hand. A slow smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

OOC: Open to ALL graduates of 1977, and a few select students from 1978 who would logically be close to many of the 1977 attendees. Time's a bit wonky in the thread (as it is with all group threads? IDK?), so feel free to be in two+ places at once! AND TAG, PEOPLE! WE HAVE KIDS BACK FROM THE DEAD, HOW GREAT IS THIS? So I want to see lots and lots of interaction >[ OR ELSE.



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Derek! :o
[info]shelovesyou
2009-07-14 04:04 am UTC (link)
Giant Christmas trees came with giant ornaments. Giada's eyes widened and narrowed as she tried to take in the enormous round bulbs that Rachel had (well, her house-elves had probably helped) used to decorate the gigantic tree. Did enough people have trees of this size to make some sort of demand for these ornaments? Was there a Christmas shoppe dedicated to over sized decorations? Maybe there was a store for Giants, and that was where Rachel had picked everything out.

Or maybe she was drunk and thinking a bit too much into this.

Giada loved Rachel's parties. Not only did she get the inside scoop of the guest list and surprises (there were always surprises), she also got to misbehave without much consequence. Rarely did Giada act out in school or at home (except for her muggle music obsession, which could not be contained), but when Rachel was in charge? Well. It was quite easy to blame her behavior on her friend, who often if not always was quite happy to take the bad rap. Giada knew she'd do the same for Rachel, but the girl rarely needed that sort of help.

She reached out to touch one of the golden ornaments, eying her reflection in the rounded glass. Hmm---a smirk crossed her face as she caught someone else examining the tree. Maybe they were examining her, but she didn't mind as she straightened and turned around.

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[info]bigd
2009-07-14 04:46 am UTC (link)
Derek owned exactly one dress robe. He found regular robes comfortable, to a certain extent, but it still seemed that at the end of almost seven years, he was barely adjusting to (in this case) the bilious clothing. In fact, the reason why he owned even one dress robe was because Rachel had bought it for him (as a birthday present, she claimed, but he could tell she was just looking for a reason to get him to dress better). Thus, he had gone out of his way to wear it for any and every social event she would ever throw, ever, even when formal dress was not required. Tonight, upon greeting him, she merely raised her eyebrows in what he presumed was quietly-contained disgust and washed her hands of the matter.

He would have thought he had the last laugh if he hadn't needed his mother to add an extra few inches around the bottom and let out the shoulders. He had not yet adjusted to being a mammoth yet, either, since it seemed to happen over night.

But aside from baiting the hostess, Derek did find these parties memorable. At the close of every single one, he considered himself to be lucky that he had the friends that he did, and the memories that he did, already eagerly anticipating looking back on these days when he was old and decrepit and having a good laugh.

Speaking frankly, this was the vein his thoughts were running along until Giada Vance fell into his line of sight, alone for the first time that evening. He'd spoken to her a few times that night, of course, but there was a difference in having to share a person with the entire room, and getting an honest chance to be alone with them. The secluded corner by the ostentatious tree seemed as close a chance as he might get, and was one he was going to take an advantage of. Excusing himself from the riveting conversation offered by Vinny, and more so, by Tilden, he made his way over to the blonde. He caught sight of his own gold, grinning reflection as he drew closer, meeting Giada's gaze through the mirror-like surface. His smile grew smug, his eyebrow lifted as he pretended to scrutinize the towering giant with the same fascination he saw her do.

"Nice tree, is it?"

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[info]shelovesyou
2009-07-14 05:46 am UTC (link)
"Gorgeous tree," Giada purred, rolling her shoulders in a teasing manner as she leaned forward to greet Derek. He'd always been one of her favorite people, that was for sure. Giada could not deny that she enjoyed Derek's presence much more than she allowed to let on (but her blushing cheeks and muttered phrases weren't helping her cease), but could you blame her? He was beyond cute and smart and athletic and dashing and just everything a boy needed to make a girl swoon---and Giada was very good at swooning, she'll have you know.

She straightened up a bit, making sure to run her hands down her sides to smooth her dress, but to also give some notice to the way it was clinging to herself. All right, all right! She was being a bit of a tart, sue her! She never was, and she wasn't even being that bad. Of course, she'd had to wear a much more conservative dress when she'd left her house this evening, but that was besides the point. It was Christmas! She was a seventh year! She wasn't engaged!

That shouldn't annoy her as much as it tended to. Giada didn't like the idea of being set up in a marriage, so she wasn't exactly jealous of any of the girls who were wearing engagement rings on their hands (only one, so far---), she just---she didn't know. It was something she was supposed to want, so the fact that she didn't have it was bugging her, so it made her want to....none of this made sense. She'd had too many drinks to try and make sense of her conflicting feelings, and she sighed greatly, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Back to the whole business of thinking Derek Dobbs was the most gorgeous man she'd ever laid eyes on. "Are you having fun? Find anything interesting to do?"

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[info]bigd
2009-07-14 06:15 am UTC (link)
He grinned down at the girl who was obviously quite past her limit. Always silly, that Giada Vance. Derek folded his arms in half-mock amusement as he regarded her person (taking note, by the way, of exactly the way it fell on that shapely frame), head tilted just slightly to the left.

"Oh, I've found plenty interesting. Did you know the bubotubers grow best when cultivated in a soil rich with horse manure? You didn't want to know, you say? Funny, neither did I, but that didn't stop Tilden Toots." It was a loving jest, of course--sort of. Tilden was fine in incredibly small doses and maintaining at least a three-person distance at all time, being that the smell of dirt seemed to follow him wherever he went. Seven years was still not enough time to grow used to that.

"But on a much more interesting note, Miss Vance, please tell me how much you have imbibed this night!"

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[info]shelovesyou
2009-07-15 06:43 pm UTC (link)
Giada put a finger to her lip, leaning forward in a teasing manner, "A lady does not drink and tell, Mister. Dobbs."

It also helped that she didn't remember how many glasses she had, but it had been a long day! Along with some of the other girls, Giada had been rushing around and helping Rachel organize the whole night, so she had needed a pick me up! And she rarely drank, anyway, because most of the time when she had the chance to, she was at the stupidly stuffy parties her mum threw. Giada had no desire to get drunk at those events, because she'd had too many close encounters of the 'grabby-hands' kind to risk it.

Derek, though, she'd be more than willing to let get a little grabby.

Oh, she was such a tart.

Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling as she listened to the new song that had started, and Giada used this as an opening to get closer to Derek. Merlin, somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that tomorrow she would be shrieking and freaking out about how forward she'd been, but it was Christmas! She could blame some bundle of mistletoe, or something! You had to follow the rules of mistletoe, and who really cared if you weren't actually standing under any? That was the magic of Christmas.

She leaned into Derek's chest, her hands pulled up to her chin in a shy playful manner. Why did he have to be so cute? She'd have gotten drunk off his eyes if she wasn't already sloshed. "I love this song."

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[info]bigd
2009-07-15 07:32 pm UTC (link)
He grinned at her brazen displays of affection, briefly noting that she really must have had a lot in order to be that forward. The real question, however, was did he mind? And the answer was not at all.

But he was a gentleman, which meant that he most certainly did not take advantage of women with lowered inhibitions, because his mother raised him right. And while a certain amount of teasing the next day until the rest of their natural life would be in order, Derek had no wish to further add to the mortification Giada might be feeling upon sobering up.

Then the silly blonde had to go leaning into his barrel of a chest, giving him big playful eyes and smiling like he was a present she wanted to unwrap…if this was objectification, he could grow to like it very much! His gentlemanly intentions took a slight dip into devilish territory as his arms might have uncrossed a little, and his hands might have moved a little to her waist, and he might have closed the already minimal distance between the two of them a little.

But only a little.

Derek leaned down a little closer to her, grin cheesy and large, and whispered, "Is that so? I think you should tell me more about how much you love this song."

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[info]shelovesyou
2009-07-16 02:53 am UTC (link)
Her eyes fluttered along with her cheeky smile, and Giada lazily laid her arms over Derek's shoulders, hands hanging limply at her crossed wrists. Oh, what oh what could she say? That she loved how slowly you had to move if you wanted to dance to this song, the lyrics made her swoon with the thoughts of true love and romance, but she really didn't feel like explaining her adoration for the song.

"Ohhh, I don't know," she said with a shrug, her body involuntarily moving and swaying to the beat. Had she ever been this close to Derek? Maybe from behind, when she tackled him in the corridors or jumped on his back, but this was a very different kind of good feeling close. Giada wasn't very experienced in the boy area (as in, she had nearly zero experience, if she wanted to be honest), but she knew what to do, thanks to very wise advice from her roommates and friends.

Not like it was hard to figure out.

"I like the way it makes me feel," she said, her grin not bothering to hide the fact that she was being blatantly flirtatious. Derek should really just make the first move, she thought quickly, helping him out by pushing herself closer. She was sloshed, but she still had some idea of how to control herself.

Well---yes! Yes, she did know what she was doing, thankyouverymuch!

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[info]bigd
2009-07-20 08:02 pm UTC (link)
"Mmm, is that so?" he asked, leaning forward just a little, but not enough to further contact than when she had moved closer. This was teasing, that's what that was. If she wanted something to happen, she was going to have to be the one to move it there, Derek thought, his firmness in the decision faltering ever-so-slightly.

"I dunno, Giada," Derek told her with as straight a face and tone as he could muster (though it should be said, to all sober persons, it was probably a very poor attempt at serious), "it doesn't look as though you're seriously enjoying yourself." He did his very best to give her large, mournful eyes, drawing back the hands that were placed rather soundly on her waist just a little. "Sort of makes a fellow wonder if he's shoddy company, or something."

All right, it was true. He was far more rogue than gentleman. But honestly, could he be blamed? Girl was practically like an angel, and was this close to whispering silly nothings in his ear.

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Mackenzie!
[info]sebclicks
2009-07-14 05:26 am UTC (link)
He'd been marveled by the fact that he'd received an invitation to one of Rachel Englewood's shindigs, but when Sebastian realized that everyone in their year was at the party, he realized that he shouldn't feel so special. He'd arrived with Mary as he'd had to meet her parents before they allowed him to take her out on Christmas, and was still reeling from the gun her father had pulled out. Sebastian had been absorbed in the wizarding world for nearly seven years now, but nothing would be able to hide his shock at the sight of a double barrel gun.

Maybe Sebastian should have just used the Jewish excuse. No need to celebrate Christmas and all that nonsense.

He'd lost Mary in the crowd; partly because there were so many people and mostly because he'd spotted Mackenzie Loftus on the other side of the room. Sebastian felt a ball of guilt in his gut as he did his best to follow the Slytherin inconspicuously out of the room and down a hallway, but he pushed any sort of anxiety away as he managed to find himself completely alone in a dark hallway of the Englewood home with Mackenzie.

Mackenzie. Mackenzie. How many times had he thought about that name, about that girl in the past three years? It seemed like a minute couldn't go by without her face crossing through his mind, and while his conscience was screaming at him reminders of his girlfriend, his heart kept thudding rapidly at the thought of the engaged girl of his dreams.

Engaged! Right. That should prove to be an issue, but Sebastian was far too hooked on the drug that was Mackenzie Loftus to care about what her ridiculous Slytherin friends thought or said about him right now.

Trying not to seem too much like a stalker, but knowing that he wasn't going to have another chance at seeing her alone like this---ever, Sebastian hurried his steps and caught up to Mackenzie before she turned into what had to be the restroom. "Hey---hold on."

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[info]macks
2009-07-14 06:47 am UTC (link)
Mackenzie had wanted come a bit earlier than the rest of the guests to see if Rachel needed help with setting up for the party (she remembered hearing Rachel say something about hundreds of ornaments needed for the tree), unfortunately escorted by Caradoc. Her mother had insisted that she see him walk her out of the house, or she wasn't going out at all tonight, leaving Mackenzie little choice but to obey. But luckily, he slipped away to who knew where as soon as they walked through the door, and Mackenzie hadn't seen him since then nearly two hours ago since she had been busying herself with distracting tasks such as helping and talking excessively. It helped that she hadn't in the slightest been looking for him, either, but she would like to assume that he had just left.

But after a while Mackenzie felt herself wanting a break from the atmosphere (everything was stressful these days), insisting to herself that she needed to check to make her purse was still sitting on Rachel's bed where she had placed it. There was no doubt it still would be, but every once and a while, she liked to step back for a couple of minutes and breathe, and now seemed like a very good time, seeing as she had just spent the last hour watching Sebastian Goldstein out of the corner of her eye. Mackenzie was sure he hadn't seen her stolen glances at him, although right when he walked in the door her eyes had very obviously drawn right to his, but she was nearly ninety percent sure he hadn't noticed.

Her assumptions were wrong. "Sebastian!" Mackenzie's voice's got caught in her throat as she jumped out of her skin at his sudden appearance behind her. Had he-- he couldn't possibly been following her. He probably just had gotten lost on the way to the bathroom, and needed directions. Yes, she would much rather want that to be his explanation than what her sinking heart was jumping to conclude. Her hand clutched over her heart in a vain attempt to collect herself.

Not that that was ever possible around Sebastian, but, she could feign it. "What are you doing?"

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[info]sebclicks
2009-07-15 10:33 pm UTC (link)
"I---"

He was realizing quickly that this was the closest he'd been to Mackenzie in months. Even their prefect routes had been ruined, and with the animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin at a lifetime high, there was no way to manage to get near her without anyone noticing. Not that either of them had made much effort in that way---he knew Mackenzie would not want to cause a scene with that ring on her finger, and he did have a girlfriend. Chasing around a seemingly random Slytherin girl would not do him any good in any scenario.

Sebastian's mouth shut into a tight line, that twitched slowly into a smile. The hallway was dark, but some light a bit further down helped his eyes focus on her face. Mackenzie Loftus had the loveliest eyes he'd ever seen, and he could go on for years about her lips, and the smell of her hair intoxicated him and---Sebastian blinked quickly and looked away for a moment, forcing himself to break from the involuntary spell she always put him under.

"I've missed...." you, I've missed... Sebastian swallowed roughly, knowing that a lot of what...whatever they had was silent and had never been spoken aloud. Did that mean they actually had anything, then? "...talking to you, we never talk, anymore."

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[info]macks
2009-07-17 03:31 am UTC (link)
What she had hoping he would say was completely different than what he actually said, leaving a rather disheartening effect in her chest. So Mackenzie turned to face him more fully, going into her standard pose with her back straight and her right hand concealing her left. "Oh," Mackenzie responded automatically, hiding her disappointment well with a smile she saved for this exact type of situation.

She didn't know how she would have liked Sebastian to finish his sentence-- well, no, that was completely untrue. In her wildest dreams, she wanted him to cast aside this ridiculous amount of strain and restriction on them, throw the bloody ring on her finger to the ground, and tell her how exactly they were going to run away from all of this to have a happy life, never being heard from again because they would slip away from all prying eyes. Mackenzie's posture slacked a bit as she focused on the wonderful experiences they could have with each other, until reality sank in.

Two facts quickly snapped herself out of her day dream: Sebastian had a girlfriend, and she was engaged to be married.

Her head tilted as she looked at him, and her sad smile still remained on her face. "I know, I am afraid that is my fault. I have just been so busy lately, it feels like I barely have time to do anything!" Of course, Mackenzie knew fully well that it had come down to avoiding him just as much as she avoided Caradoc, but she couldn't really tell him that. Blaming herself with time management was much easier.

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[info]sebclicks
2009-07-17 05:56 pm UTC (link)
Sebastian nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground as she responded. He felt like such a chicken for changing his words, but Mackenzie had agreed with him so quickly that maybe it was the best decision. He really didn't know how she felt, as much as he liked to think he did. For all Sebastian really knew---she could be silently thrilled to be engaged, or----no, no he knew Mackenzie.

They hadn't spent all that time on their rounds talking and actually building a friendship for him not to understand her. Sebastian had never paid as much attention to anything as he did Mackenzie, so he saw how terrible she seemed to feel. Mackenzie was the epitome of a lady, of a girl; if she wanted this wedding, she would be thrilled beyond belief and not looking as if she was ready to throw up at every mention of the engagement. If this was a wedding she wanted to have, she wouldn't be busy. She would be glad to be going through all the steps---he knew that she wasn't busy.

"Is it really something you want to be busy with?"

Sebastian didn't know how he'd allowed that to escape his mouth, but he kept his eyes away from Mackenzie to avoid any more desperation. His fists clenched by his sides and a part of him wanted to leave so he didn't have to hear Mackenzie's response---maybe he was just insane with his thoughts, maybe she did want this and he was just being crazy and obsessed. But his feet remained planted in the carpet, and Sebastian slowly tried to creep his gaze back up to meet hers.

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[info]macks
2009-07-18 06:26 am UTC (link)
Mackenzie felt herself freeze for a few seconds, momentarily caught: Sebastian had seen right through her quick lie. Not that she was very good at lying, merlin no, that was what Evan and Caradoc were for, but most of the time people just went along with what she said anyway because why would someone like Mackenzie Loftus lie without a good reason? If that common assumption didn't get her through tough spots most of the time, Mackenzie would vomit from the horrible stereotype people had casted her in.

"That's neither here nor there," she supplied quickly, easily appearing calm as she had been given much practice concerning this subject over the months. Though instantly, Mackenzie regretted her reaction to Sebastian. He seemed to know her better than most people (or at least she liked to believe so), so didn't that at least earn the respect of a true answer from her? Or just a less rude one? As much as she wanted Sebastian to leave her alone so all this drama could come to an end, a louder part of her only wanted to pull him in closer.

But she would loose everything.

The permanent smile on her face dipped a bit, and she couldn't help but frown. What else could she do? It was painful, but the best for the both of them would be for her to push him away. Her chest sank even deeper at the thought, increasing her self-induced agony. "Did you come here with Mary?" she asked in a small tone, refusing to even look at his face in fear of catching his gaze.

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[info]sebclicks
2009-07-18 10:14 pm UTC (link)
She was killing him. Sebastian hadn't realized it until just then, but she was slowly sending him to an early grave. His heart sunk into his stomach at her dismissing response, and he felt his face heat up from humiliation. How was she so easily ready to gloss over all of this? He couldn't believe that she was willing to just deal with the misery she'd forever be in if she married Dearborn. Mackenzie just---she couldn't. She was a happy person, she was a brilliant person whose future could not be deterred like this, even if she didn't end up with him, Sebastian knew that she was supposed to go out and do great things and...

God, she was trying to kill him. If she let him think she wanted to be with him, his heart would ache that he couldn't be. If she told him off and lied about how she was fine with the situation, he was felt like he was going to collapse. There was no way around it, they were bloody screwed no matter what they did, and Sebastian was finally realizing this. Mere weeks or---even days before her impending nuptuails, he was finally realizing that he had absolutely no chance in being with Mackenzie, even for a moment.

"That's neither here nor there," he muttered, finding himself pushing closer to her. They weren't touching, he couldn't touch her, but Sebastian would be damned if he couldn't get as close to Mackenzie as she would possibly allow. This could be the last time he would ever have the chance to be in her vicinity let alone centimeters from her face. He had to take advantage of it, he was a Gryffindor for God's sake! How could he just let this happen, how could he have let this go on for so long?

His hand reached up and pushed a loose piece of hair out of her face, managing to gently graze the skin of her cheek, "I don't want you to get married, Mackenzie." Not to Dearborn, anyway.

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[info]macks
2009-07-19 07:39 am UTC (link)
Hearing her own words come back to smack her in the face was no pleasant experience. Especially when she knew that Sebastian meant it, and she hadn't. A frown fought to break through on her face, but Mackenzie stayed steadfast. He only said it because she had said it to hurt him, and there was no other reason behind it.

Right?

She promised herself she was not going to cry tonight. She had spent enough of the past few months doing exactly that, so didn't she deserve one night which didn't include bawling her eyes out? For one thing or another? It wasn't--- ladies did not cry in public! Not only would it be a complete embarrassment, but Sebastian was standing right in front of her, there would be no way that he couldn't see, which would then lead them into a whole different level.

"She is your girlfriend, Sebastian," Mackenzie said in the same small tone, her eyes closing shut as he reached for her, and closing even tighter once she felt his hot hand brush across her face. What was wrong with her, why did she suddenly feel so wrong and dirty, but at the same time want nothing more than for it to continue? It wasn't fair, it was like she was bound to Caradoc now just because of this bloody ring, when she knew fully well that he was most likely traipsing all around school with any girl he pleased! Because he didn't care what position this put in her, he had no idea how she felt! He probably thought she wanted to go through with this!

No matter how hard Mackenzie attempted to control herself, no matter how hard she resisted, tears did begin to form in her eyes. Eventually they began to roll down her cheeks, and she cursed herself for it. "You can't just say that," she stuttered, hellbent on trying to keep the conversation going as if nothing had changed. She couldn't, she couldn't give into him! It would be impossible, them, it could never happen and--- "I don't have a choice."

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[info]sebclicks
2009-07-19 08:29 am UTC (link)
Shit!

Sebastian faltered at the sight of her tears, and while his brain felt like it'd frozen with no idea of how to fix this (because he really didn't have any idea how to fix this--any of this), his hands lifted and took Mackenzie's face in their grip. No, no, she shouldn't be crying, he couldn't have made her cry, "Mack, don't cry, please...it'll be all right, okay?"

He ducked his head to try to catch her gaze, if she'd even honor him with that. Sebastian forced a smile, trying to look hopeful. Maybe she'd be happy with Dearborn. She'd be married with a home, she would have children, and she'd be a great mother. He'd always imagined she'd be a good mother, which how she ran her prefect duties and how all the other students just seemed to be innately drawn to her, like...like they knew they could trust Mackenzie.

Sebastian knew the feeling all too well, and as he attempted to wipe her tears away and think of something that would make her feel better, he couldn't stop himself from thinking that he'd been pulled toward her the hardest of them all. God, and it had been so much fun, too. Getting excited for rounds, the silence that always started their time together, and then just something would spark a conversation, and by the end of the night he would have something to look back on and smile about and add to his list of 'things that made him believe Mackenzie Loftus was in love with him.'

It was a terribly long list he was going to have to get rid of now, he supposed.

Sebastian was ready to tell her that she was going to be happy, that she was going to get to do everything she wanted because no one, not even big-headed Dearborn could stop her. He was ready to make sure that she knew she would end up okay, because there's no way he'd allow it any other way, but instead he said,

"You have a choice," his voice cracked as he startled himself with his words, "Mackenzie, you can choose yourself, you can choose me---"

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[info]obtineo
2009-07-22 06:49 pm UTC (link)
It was rather inconvenient, that he wasn’t able to enjoy this whole Christmas extravaganza as much as he would have liked. Sure, he wasn’t doing anything to help with the festivities, but that wasn’t what he had planned on doing, anyway. No, no, he was perfectly content being dragged away into a quiet little corner by Matilda; far enough away from everyone so they weren’t interrupted all the time, but public enough to get sneered at by anyone who wasn’t a Slytherin. Seriously, did people have that much of a problem with public displays of affection?

Or, maybe it was more like public displays of lust, since they were only 16, and Evan wasn’t exactly the most ‘affectionate’ of people. He was charming, and had a way with words that could make almost any girl melt right on the spot, but his reasons for wooing a girl were based mainly on primal needs…but he did care about the girls he actually dated. Like Matilda, for example…though he was sure she wouldn’t be too pleased, had she known that his thoughts were elsewhere, even though he was fully involved with what they were doing in their little corner.

It wasn’t his fault, that he had taken a quick look around the room at one point, and was able to catch Mackenzie leaving…only to be followed by one Sebastian Goldstein. At first, he just figured he should let it go, because if he was bothering her than Mackenzie would hopefully just tell him to ‘fuck off’, only without using that particular phrasing. He had turned his full attention back to Matilda, but as soon as she told him she would be right back, he nodded his head, waited for her to run off to do whatever it was she needed to do, and took the opportunity to go and investigate what the hell was going on with Mack and Goldstein, since they had been gone for way too long. Not that he was keeping track, but as a friend, he thought he should see if that obnoxious halfblood was bothering Mackenzie. It didn’t hurt to check, did it?

Lifting a hand, he pushed some of those platinum locks away from his forehead (Matilda had a thing about playing with his hair, it seemed), and then slipped that one along with the other into the pockets of his dress robes. He moved quietly…which was good, because he was able to catch the tail end of the conversation taking place between his friend and that Gryffindor she was speaking to. He felt his jaw twitch, but calmed himself down so he could round the corner, making his presence known. “Is there a problem here, Mackenzie?” He directed the question at the one other person in that hallway he actually respected…and as soon as he saw that she was crying, his gaze shifted over to Sebastian. The look he gave him was cold, and his jaw was set. Mack was one of his best friends, and he cared about her deeply...so if this bastard had hurt her somehow, there would be hell to pay.

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[info]macks
2009-07-22 07:58 pm UTC (link)
Mackenzie jumped so severely at the sound of Evan's voice and jerked so quickly out of Sebastian's grasp that for a few moments it felt like she had broken a few limbs. She did not, however, even have time to check, because as soon as she had distanced herself from Sebastian, Mackenzie found she was frozen in her spot, unable to move or speak.

How was it that this was happening to her? Was she not allowed to ever be happy? Could she never just have one moment? Or was this suppose to be some sick test, like the ones her mother had insisted on telling her over and over again? How people would tempt you from achieving what you were meant to achieve, but in the end you should always strive to marry a young, pureblood man from an upstanding family was the right thing to do, and that was it. But-- Mackenzie didn't feel like Sebastian would inhibit her from anything. In fact, she felt the complete opposite about him: when she was around him, it didn't feel like she had to put on an act, she could just be herself and that was good enough.

Which obviously meant that the universe would do whatever it took to keep them apart. Since feelings like that weren't deemed good enough.

A fresh wave of tears began to form in her eyes, and her first movement in what seemed like hours was to quickly bat them away. Mackenzie's hands went from her face to her hair, brushing her hair down despite still being in place and now slightly wet. Breathe, breathe, because it was necessary. And as much as she wanted to control herself, Mackenzie could not hold back the two longing looks she directed to Sebastian and Evan (Merlin--- how would she explain this to him?), each having completely different meanings.

"N--no, of course not," Mackenzie spoke in a voice quiet unlike her usual one. A completely forced and fake smile appeared on her lips as she turned to avoid both their gazes, a hand going to pat her hair again. Call it an anxious habit, but the situation she was in now was a tad stressful. "I just have to... would you mind? I have to go check on--- something." Rachel was going to have to owl her things to her tomorrow, because there was no way Mackenzie was coming back to this spot tonight to retrieve them.

She couldn't even look at Sebastian as she rushed past him, and darted behind Evan: it was far too heartbreaking to even try, so she didn't even attempt to give a glance back over her shoulder as she walked away, head low.

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Rachel!
[info]docstheword
2009-07-14 06:13 am UTC (link)
Caradoc took another drink from his cup, enjoying the taste of liquor dripping down his throat and into his stomach. He would have to give props to Rachel for even serving it: as well as he knew her, he would have put money on the fact that she would have banned every form of it from being seen, let alone freely provided, at any form of gathering hosted by her.

But, that was neither here nor there.

As always, Caradoc had taken to avoiding Mackenzie publicly as much as socially permissible, which left him to reach outside Slytherin house this night. And even though they both knew this ridiculous engagement was coming to an end very soon, thanks to his genius and plotting instead of planning during the allotted time their parents had given them, he knew things would still be awkward until that bloody ring was off her finger, which she had insisted to keep on at all times, a bane to his inner core. But Caradoc wasn't going to let himself think any deeper into the matter, because he noticed that when he didn't think about it, the whole situation was much easier to swallow.

"Wow Rachel, I don't think you could have tried any harder," he smirked smugly as he approached her, referring to the elaborate display of perfectly placed decorations down to every cup set in place. Caradoc sipped his drink slowly in front of her, content to find someone actually acceptable.

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[info]malengled
2009-07-14 06:25 am UTC (link)
She raised her eyebrows at the abrupt company, smirk widening upon seeing Caradoc. There were few people in the world she worthy of her time, and it was (often begrudgingly) worth noting that Caradoc Dearborn often floated somewhere near the top of that list. Rachel was, of course, very careful to keep this information from him, so as to prevent the enlargement of his ego, but such things could not be denied.

"It's painfully clear you haven't heard of the word 'effort,'" the girl replied sweetly, tipping her goblet in a mock-toast to his less than impressive attire. "I don't know how they allowed you to advance this far, since it's apparent your reading suffers some as well. I did specify 'formal attire,' Caradoc. It hurts me, what little regard you have for my requests."

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[info]docstheword
2009-07-14 07:19 am UTC (link)
Well. Nothing like starting right off with a bang. Not that he expected anything less than the Rachel Englewood. There was a reason behind why they had dated.

Caradoc feigned mock shock as his jaw dropped suggestively. "What do you think this is?" he stated, gesturing generally with his hand to his upper body. He had put on something other than a plain shirt for her, and for her alone (just think of the bloodbath if he had gone otherwise), so Rachel of all people should understand that this gesture of his was one of great significance. It wasn't everyday that he cared to notice what he was wearing, let alone basically stop to think about it.

Well, for next time, Rachel had just earned her a tee shirt with holes in it. And robes that were dusty. All for her to wear. Because next time that would be the only thing present in her wardrobe.

"And--- the shoes. Those are dress shoes, mind you," Caradoc indicated smartly, deciding to completely ignore her attempted at scathing remarks toward him. He smirked again, and let out a small laugh. "Request fulfilled, in any normal book. I think it's you, I'm afraid."

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[info]malengled
2009-07-14 08:26 am UTC (link)
Blunt was a good word for Rachel, as was coy. And while the two seemed like opposites, Rachel often effectively united them in a somewhat infuriating display of smugness. Verbal foreplay, her method of conversation had been called on more than one occasion, and while she turned her nose up at the term, it had to be said that it was an honest description. "I suppose you're right--too often we forward thinkers are shunned for our alien beliefs that are, in actuality, miles ahead of the rest of the populous. To think, you'll only appreciate me and my modern sense of fashion when I'm dead and gone." The look she gave him was one of pure exasperation, but this seemed to be an age-old debate between the two, and Rachel was positive she'd provoked him into coming to the next social event in naught but a makeshift burlap robe. She'd tackle that mess when they came to it, but was not above turning him out on his ear. Caradoc's company was thoroughly enjoyable, of course, but nothing excused a poor wardrobe.

Except, of course, she did find his shoes passable. At least they weren't clogs.

"Mackenzie, on the other hand," she began, clearly going nowhere good with this subject as she thought back to the ring on the Slytherin girl's finger, and what a stir it had been causing, "appears to be perfectly dressed for the occasion, and I don't simply mean with clothing. Tell me, do you hear spring wedding bells, or do you find winter much more suitable to your tastes?"

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[info]docstheword
2009-07-17 04:46 am UTC (link)
He wears something that could be "considered" semi-formal to her fucking soiree, so in return she brings up that? He should just pour this drink over her head and start an uncontrollable, never-end (not to mention destruction) rave for that little comment of hers. Very much unable to control himself now, Caradoc's entire body tensed as his face darkened to a completely different mood before Rachel's eyes: complete loathing.

Hadn't she learned from the public displays people had made out of themselves when they brought UP that to him? No one had gone unpunished. By now, anyone would be a fucking idiot to think that bringing up even Mackenzie's name to him was hazardous to everyone's help. Just ask a third year that just so happened to try out for the quidditch team, and accidentally fell fifty meters from the ground. So terrible.

"Why don't you hold your breath until the owl arrives," Caradoc finally responded sourly, severely put off at the fact that no, he couldn't punch Rachel in the face and start screaming at her. But fortunately for him, he was versed in other ways of abuse. "Who said you were even invited?" he continued, going purely on anger at this point. It didn't matter that he knew this engagement was going to end within the week, and that he had despised every minute of it, no no. It was war, now, and Caradoc would do whatever it took to take her down.

"And you know," he started, putting his drink down on the nearby wooden table (without a coaster: any detail at this point would help). "I am lucky, Mackenzie already is proving to be beyond anything I could ask for. Unfortunately, I've had some bad luck with girlfriends, especially so in my fourth year. Completely inept in every way compared to her."

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[info]malengled
2009-07-17 05:16 am UTC (link)
Her grip on the goblet tightened dangerously, her small hand doing as much to crack it as possible. Were it not for the simple fact that pumpkin juice was impossible to get out of fair rugs (and this sort of thing was always present in Rachel's mind, being that she practically lived the part of hostess), the annoyance she'd be feeling right now would have been enough to do splinter it. Instead, she smacked the goblet down on the table, right next to his--on a coaster, thank you very much, because she was not savage--and turned to face him, expression deadly.

"I realize," Rachel snapped, enunciating her words in a tight, low voice, "that this is a sensitive subject for you and I realize that you have a particularly fragile male ego and therefore find it impossible to talk about such things, but you cannot fly off the handle like an uncivilized heathen every time it is even mentioned."

Being told she wasn't invited was easily handled, if there even was a wedding. The girl even doubted whether that sentiment would stick with Caradoc as soon as this mood dissipated. Being cursed out for making a jab below the belt, even, Rachel could patiently tolerate until he had gotten whatever ill-feeling off his chest. She was only trying to help him, after all! Bottling this sort of thing up served no one well, and it was in his best interest to open up about it—though she was well aware that all too often, there were people who needed such help, but strenuously objected to receiving it, since they didn't believe it was necessary. Trying to be the bigger person and helping those at such a disadvantage overcome these obstacles could be a tireless, thankless role to play.

But there were some lines that were unforgivable when crossed. Being told that she was "incompetent," as a girlfriend or otherwise, was one of these. It was painfully obvious to whom he was referring, of course. As if anyone had been foolish enough to date him their fourth year besides her! Not to mention attempting to insinuate that any subsequent break up had been anything but mutual--that was simply unforgivable. And Caradoc was a fool if he didn't know that; Rachel Englewood was a far cry from incompetent, and Merlin take pity on whatever poor soul failed to believe that!

"At least learn to handle it with a certain amount of grace! Not everyone bringing it up is trying to humiliate you!"

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[info]docstheword
2009-07-18 06:47 am UTC (link)
"And you weren't?" Caradoc snapped, knowing that the only reason why Rachel brought up Mackenzie was to humiliate him: it obviously was the only thing that could get to his inner core these days. Just like how he knew questioning Rachel's competence as a girlfriend would strike her inner core. Who was she exactly trying to kid, here? Like he hadn't taught her a few things along the road, and while he would never admit this to her, she had taught him a few ways to verbally abuse as well. It really was pointless for them to bring up anything that annoyed each other: it would only result in death.

"How about you just don't ask about it to avoid it entirely?" he drawled, calming down at the sight of her anger. At least she had gotten the point. If she honestly wanted to know so much about this wedding that would never happen, she could go ask Mackenzie, seeing as the girl was a much safer bet.

Caradoc picked up his cup again and drained it completely, giving time for both of them to not say anything for a few moments. Just... try to avoid thinking of ways how he would kill Rachel for bringing this up. And! And! It was just that he expected more from her. He did. That was the problem.

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LOL I COULDN'T SLEEP :\
[info]tootytoot
2009-07-14 07:02 am UTC (link)
How happy was Tilden T. Toots that there were drinks of the alcoholic variety in the many that were offered? Very, was the answer! Really, he didn't care for the taste of alcohol that much, which was why he preferred his with lots and lots of delicious, sweet syrup mixed into his - a fact which always gave whoever knew him an uproarious laugh - but he always fiercely maintained that it didn't make him any less of a man! Tonight he had donned his finest dress robes, a dark midnight blue that shimmered ever so faintly with his every movement, robes that he and his best friend slash hetero life partner had picked out together during their last visit to Madam Malkin's.

Although he didn't want to get too smashed, Dorcas Meadowes kept passing him his favourite drinks, and who was he to turn down a pretty girl with a winning smile, although he often got the impression that she could beat him up with an arm tied behind his back? Yes, even a strapping young lad like himself? Somehow she had known about his not-so-secret admiration of the hostess of this fine party, and although he had been quite adamant against Dorcas's suggestions that he flirt with her (flirt with her, for heaven's sake, he had a girlfriend!), with every sip of the bright pink drink, the idea somehow became less intangible and insane, and more appealing. Besides, Gildy always said that there was nothing wrong with being friendly, right? Right!

So there he was, a slight wobble in his usual swagger, his finely chiseled features tinged with just the slightest red, as he downed his fifth drink (what a lush!), dark eyes scanning the crowd of brightly coloured dress robes for a certain Miss Rachel Englewood. Aha! There she was! He turned away from Stefana Catchlove, another very pretty girl - why, the whole place seemed to be packed with pretty girls tonght! A big, devastatingly handsome grin - or, rather, soppy, as one can argue that beauty is, after all, subjective - came to his face as he tapped the pretty brunette on the shoulder, and waited until she turned around before he spoke. "I just wanted to tell you that you're throwing a SMASHING party!" he cried, flinging his arms about in a sort of dramatic gesture to fully convey the full depth of his enthusiastic emotions. "Not only are you a great hostess, but did anyone tell you that you're sure beauuuutiful as well?"

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BAD GIRL!
[info]malengled
2009-07-15 08:36 am UTC (link)
There were downfalls to inviting the entire seventh year, naturally. Etiquette dictated that the perfect party had a varied, and apparently not always ideal, guest-list, so as to encourage the forming of new relationships, and politeness' sake required that every last one of her classmates should at least receive an invitation. Were it up to Rachel, rather than the rules of society, less than half of the current attendees would even be on the list. Certainly not among the elite few was Tilden Toots. She'd heard complains about him often enough, but had never spoken to the boy beyond "please move so I may get by here," or other demands of that nature. It certainly hadn't stopped the Hufflepuff from greeting his hostess, however. And rather emphatically, Rachel wished to add, as the shouted "smashing" and flailing arms were by no means subtle.

But ever the gracious lady, even when faced with mortifying public displays, Rachel ignored the blatant inappropriateness of his heralding. She inclined her head in acknowledgment of the statement and smiled ever-so-slightly, raising one eyebrow delicately. "How kind of you, Tilden. I am pleased to see that you are enjoying yourself."

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OPEN!
[info]dorcasm_
2009-07-14 07:22 am UTC (link)
To be quite honest, Dorcas Meadowes wasn't James Potter's cousin for nothing. Despite the fact that she had allowed herself to be dragged here by both Graeme and Marlie - not before much groveling, pleading, and flattery on her part, well, what can she say? She was a girl that quite liked to see begging. It was only then she had took the only pair of dress robes that she owned, a rather pretty crimson set that her mother had bought her but Dorcas being Dorcas, hardly wore, had her hair styled as well as finished the other requisite girlie blah blah girls did for parties (courtesy of Marlie, naturally, for Dorcas was thumbs when it came to these things). Not that Dorcas would admit it - alright, so she would - but damn, she could clean up nicely.

She spent a good portion of the evening admiring the gorgeous decorations that was abundant in the Englewood home, and mainly stuck by the Gryffindors, but as the party progressed, she and the others started to mingle. By mingle, she meant that she played various tricks for her own entertainment - though not really a drinker, she had a surprisingly good tolerance, a fact that she had happily discovered from past parties. It hadn't been that hard to drink Tilden Toots under the table - he was already at his limit at what, five girl drinks? Also, it wasn't that she had any personal vendetta against the hostess - because really, ol' Tootytoot was a veritable comedic goldmine, and well, it would be extremely entertaining to watch him go up and try to be smooth around Miss Priss! She made a note to tell James everything later.

For now, she was trying her best to bully encourage people to go and dance! The music was loud, and although it wasn't what Dorcas would call groovy or anything, it was acceptable, in her opinion; acceptable enough that people could actually go up and move to it. She finally succeeded in pair of Hufflepuffs and a couple of her dormmates - as for her, she did genuinely want to dance, but strangely enough, for all her shenanigans, she felt oddly shy if she were alone on a dance floor. Yes, she was the type of person that needed a mob to surround her before she could bust loose with funky moves and fancy footwork.

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Re: OPEN!
[info]obtineo
2009-07-17 10:28 am UTC (link)
(I...would like to claim this for Graeme, maybe?)

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[info]stefana
2009-07-14 07:42 am UTC (link)
"It is not called the fellytone! It's the telephone, I thought we went over this is third year Muggle Studies!" Light green eyes, made up carefully behind gold-wire glasses widened in sheer indignation as she shook her head at the person before her. Why exactly they were striking up a conversation as something so mundane as school subjects could be anyone's guess, but then again, it was Stefana Catchlove, and well, most people had come to expect that from the blonde. A final shake of her head signaled that the conversation was over, for she was much more interested in the hor d'oeuvres, (yum, was that crab cakes she saw?!), she was quite surprised to find that she was actually having a pretty gosh darn swell time, because as everyone knew, Stefana and parties did not mix well.

Although she had to say that she was really looking forward to this one - she had always known that Rachel Englewood always threw the most impressive and smashing of soirées, and this was her second one! The emerald dress robes made a bit of a dramatic difference on her, and secretly she was thrilled every time she passed by a reflective surface. Although she had tried to take off her glasses and put them in her pocket, just because someone had once told her that she was prettier without them, it had been a bit of a disaster as she had nearly walked straight into a pillar and then into a door frame. Ah well, one couldn't have everything, right?

She didn't have that much to drink yet, but someone had passed her a flute of pumpkin wine and who was she to resist, right? It was a party! She sipped at it, humming along to the familiar holiday songs that wafted from the WWN's annual holiday programme, and bouncing slightly on her toes. Ooh, she so wished to dance, but it looked as though barely anyone was on the dance floor yet, although there were a few brave souls already there! But well, there did have to be enablers to get people moving, yes yes? She smoothed down her dress robes and pondered. Should she join the first few and set a fine example and dance with them, eventually encouraging others to come up? Or should she wait?

Oh, decisions, decisions! She twisted her mouth as she thought this over, but her train of thought was interrupted by a light tap on the shoulder. Turning her head, her face lit up. "Oh! You can help me decide!" she declared happily.

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[info]stefana
2009-07-14 07:43 am UTC (link)
[ THIS PROBABLY GOES WITHOUT SAYING BUT THIS IS OPEN LAWLS xDDD ]

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[info]matildas
2009-07-17 09:34 am UTC (link)
"Aren't the decorations beautiful, Evan? They could do with some shining, of course, but you can tell that there clearly was effort."

Matilda batted her eyes up at her boyfriend, smiling genuinely as Christmas had always been her most favorite of holidays. What wasn't there to love? You spent time with your friends and family, you were out of school, you got presents! Really, anyone who chose any other holiday was completely out of their minds, or had never experienced the pure joy that Christmas was.

Of course, it did help that she had a very handsome boyfriend this holiday, and Matilda made sure that she steered him toward the nearest bushel of mistletoe. While some people were forced to deal with idiot boys who could not handle being seen in public together, Matilda was blessed with the epitome of a gentleman in Evan Rosier.

"Do you like my dress robes?" she asked, carefully smoothing down the red velvet.

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[info]obtineo
2009-07-17 10:47 am UTC (link)
“Hm… Yes… Beautiful…” Evan’s words sounded quite distracted…but that was because he was distracted. His attention had drifted over what was going on amongst the small group of people who were standing nearby. It took a lot of will power, to not send an obvious glare at some of the mudbloods who were chirping away obnoxiously to their little mudblood friends, and was glad when Matilda looked up at him, providing him with a much needed distraction. Her smile made him relax a great deal, and the corners of his mouth rose up into a small smirk. Christmas was always a good time, for Evan, because that meant going home to see his Mother. It was a rare occurrence, so he took advantage of the time he had available to spend with her. It was really the only reason he ever looked forward to going home.

As they moved, Even noticed the mistletoe he was being guided to stand under, but didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he stood beneath the plant and just looked down at her when she asked about her dress robes. A tilt of his head was given as he allowed those mismatched eyes of his to take in the robes in question, smirking again as he reached an arm out to wrap it around her waist, stepping forward to use his free hand to play with the ends of the blonde hair that was draped over her shoulder. “As I’ve told you the last 5 times you’ve asked me…yes. I do.” He smirked again, since smiles were rare for Evan, and he glanced up at the bushel of mistletoe that he was sure would get him in trouble if he were to ignore it. “…these are conveniently located, aren’t they?” It was a sarcastic jab to let her know that he had been in on her big plan to get him to stand under one the entire time.

[Couldn't sleep. D:]

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[info]matildas
2009-07-17 05:23 pm UTC (link)
It wasn't her fault that she appreciated hearing compliments. Maybe she just wanted to make sure that Evan noticed every detail of her robes, as she'd spent hours in Twilfit and Tattings trying to find the perfect one. Her mother was of no use, so she'd had to rely on the women working at the shop. Ugh, ridiculously useless, but with a stroke of luck they'd pulled out her current outfit, and voilà! She'd known from the moment she slipped the dress on that she looked perfect.

And Evan thought so too, which was all she had wanted from the evening.

Well, no, of course she wanted to look better than all of the other girls in the room. She'd gone to a high end shop because she had to make sure that none of the mudbloods roaming the place (really, she thought Rachel would have more class than to allow that) were wearing the same dress. And! And she had not spotted a single one, so. Tonight was an overall success, and it was only looking up as Evan more than sarcastically mentioned the mistletoe. Matilda batted her eyes slowly, her lips curving up into a smile as she leaned into her boyfriend.

"They are, aren't they."

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lol Edward
[info]aheavenlycause
2009-07-17 07:27 pm UTC (link)
Ay Deus mio ayudame por favor.

Graciela sat, stiff and with her knees pressed tightly together as she watched the festivities. Why was this, her last year until she got to get away from this personal Hell of a school, the year her parents decided to spend the holidays in England? It had to be Andrea's doing, she had un novio or something up here, and Santi had been more than willing to come along, and of course they had seen the owl with the invitation and of course they had all pushed for her to go.

Had she not told them before, that she had no friends? Why could her family not realize that when she never talked about anyone to them, that she really had no one to speak of? She watched her roommates across the room, praying that they would not spot her because the teasing would be merciless and Deus. Graciela had not moved from this seat in what felt like hours, but now someone had sat down beside her and she was twitching to get up and move over one seat but that would be rude and...

Why was she here, again? She let out a soft breath, keeping her face and eyes straight ahead to avoid any contact with whoever was sitting close.

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[info]esp
2009-07-18 07:50 am UTC (link)
The only reason why Edward was at this party was purely due to the fact that he was completely afraid of Rachel's wrath. Imagine if she hadn't seen him here, and figured out that he had decided not to come? He wouldn't make it past Christmas, he knew that for a fact because she would murder him in his sleep. Everyone else seemed to be here, and he was actually friends with her, so him not showing his face here tonight to her would have been the equivalent of basically killing her first born.

So, unfortunately, that left Edward with little options. He had brought a book, now stuffed in his chest robe pocket, but he hadn't been present enough for him to slip away. He would know, it had only been twenty-seven minutes, and Mortimer said that he had to wait at least an hour before deciding to do whatever he wanted. Which was leave.

Not because Rachel's party was unsuccessful, no no. Parties like this just weren't his thing. At all. In the slightest. Actually he loathed every aspect of it. He would much rather be able to actually talk to people.

At least it seemed like the girl sitting next to him felt the same way. Or had eaten some really bad food. But Edward, always wanting to make himself feel normal, went with the former. His lips tugged into what he hoped was an understanding smile (who knew), as he turned to her.

"Hi."

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[info]aheavenlycause
2009-07-19 05:13 am UTC (link)
Graciela felt her throat close up. Hi. What did they need to say that, for? Did she look like she was excited to speak to anyone? All Graciela wanted to do was make it an hour, and then leave. Or until---ten. That was the time Andrea had made her promise to stay until, and it was proving muy, muy dificil. Maybe...maybe talking was not a bad idea, then? A conversation could be interesting, and it could make her lose track of time, and! And then she can go and be happy. Graciela was very much looking forward to going to sleep in the pajamas she had received from 'Santa' this morning.

Yes, that would be good then, to talk. Graciela turned to the boy (a boy, it had to be a boy that sat beside her...) to smile and relax, when she realized two things. One, the boy was the (in her opinion) very handsome Edward Pennifold from Ravenclaw, and two, she did not speak English very well and had managed to keep nearly mute in all her years at Hogwarts.

No, that would not be a good idea then, to talk.

But she had already turned, and her lips had already smiled, and she...could not escape this interaction, could she? Unless she wished to be branded as even more of a freak (a freak, that was a word she wished she hadn't become accustomed to hearing), she would have to force herself to speak to Edward. Right. Here it goes...nothing yet. Graciela cleared her throat as she felt herself flush up, and finally she spoke in a tiny voice, "Hello."

That was very pathetic. She straightened up slightly, "Your holiday...it has been good?"

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[info]esp
2009-07-19 07:59 am UTC (link)
Oh, the girl was Graciela. Fortunately for him, Edward had taken to learn every single person's name with matching face in third year in his year. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it just awkwardly left him knowing every single person most of the time, and almost no one knowing him.

Edward's smile grew as he recognized her, happy to see that he had happened upon a normal person, and not a crazy... girl. You know, the ones that once you address them with a hello never stop talking until you walk out the door. If he wasn't use to constant conversation from Giada and Rachel by now, his tolerance level would have been much, much lower.

Once she finally did speak, Edward couldn't help but be surprised at her accent. Well that made sense, then, why she never talked. Hogwarts was brutal; he could only imagine how hard it would be to make friends when people didn't even care to understand you in the first place. Plus, you know, not being able to understand others half the time.

"Yes," he nodded slowly, thinking next of how to word his words in the simplest way possible without looking like he was doing so. "I was given a lot of new books." It took him another second, but with a nod, he continued, "What about you?"

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[info]aheavenlycause
2009-07-19 09:51 am UTC (link)
"Oh, yes. You like reading."

Edward was always reading. It was easy to notice him in the group of loud Ravenclaws because while they were moving about with their hands gesturing wildly, he was the only motionless thing in site. Nose stuck in a book and somehow managing to understand everything that was going on. Graciela only knew he did because she often found herself stunned at how the topics could change so quickly within the group, and then become even more surprised when Edward would add in a comment as if he'd been in the middle of it all.

Yes--she noticed people. You had a lot of time on your hands when you did not speak, and Graciela had taken to examining those around her. If she had a vicious heart, she could probably start rumors about everyone in the room (except for Vinny Gudgeon. He could do no wrong). There were people kissing other people's boyfriends, girls talking about their best friends, cheating and just bad things that every seemed to think was fine to talk about right in front of her.

Graciela understood English, she had been immersed in it since she was young, but she never felt comfortable speaking it. She was supposed to have perfected it at Hogwarts, like her sister and brother, but her fear of...well, people had prevented that.

"Clothes," she said, tugging on the strap of her dress. She got many pieces of clothing, and, well, ink from her papa. "Ink, too." Her blush deepened a bit, and while she didn't tell anyone anything, 'ink' by itself would sound strange. "I write, very much. Stories."

It felt good to say that to someone that was not her father, and Graciela even felt inclined to answer any questions Edward might give her about her writing. She had only just started to take it seriously, because of her papa's encouragement, so she did not know if she was any good, pero..it could not hurt to write to yourself, sim? She was enthralled with the idea of speaking to someone about it (Enthralled to speak! Strange!) and barely noticed the loud group near by, their hooting and hollering erupting randomly.

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[info]esp
2009-07-21 05:17 am UTC (link)
Not that he wanted to help it, but Edward sat up straighter when he heard her mention books. Well, him reading, really, but that was good enough for him. And he perked up even more at the understanding that she wrote. Wrote stories, novellas, novels--- he had no idea, but whatever it was he knew he definitely wanted to take a look at. He had been attempting to write something that could be considered a book for a while now, but all it had turned into was random passages from chapters that he had never finished.

It was too bad, really, because the premise was rather good, if he didn't say so himself. Unfortunately, Edward had sadly come to the conclusion that he just wasn't cut out to sit at a desk and write for hours on an end. He found his mind would wander off mid sentence to ponder about other things, like why Rowena Ravenclaw had chosen silver and navy as Ravenclaw's colors whilst focusing intently on a random banner in the tower. Or why his character should be saying what he was saying right then, why had those words popped into his head deemed more appropriate than another jumble of words. Or---

Ah, he was doing it again.

Blinking, Edward sought to continue the conversation quickly before she had noticed his slight spacing out. "I'd like to read them--- your stories," he blurted without hesitation. Not exactly how he wanted that to come out: actually getting to know the girl would have probably been the better move, so it wouldn't seem so creepy when he asked to read what she was writing.

Damn, he was going to have to pay Derek another sickle for yet another socially awkward moment he was creating with an essentially completely stranger.

"If that's okay with you, I mean--- I understand if you don't want me to, we don't really know each other and, it could be really personal so--- I get it. If you don't want to. Share--- I mean." Great. Edward felt the back of his neck heat up, and he gave the best friendly smile he could muster at that point.

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Bess, Doll ;]
[info]chesters
2009-07-20 03:49 am UTC (link)
If someone had told Chester last year that he would be attending a Christmas party with a Hufflepuff, let alone dating one, he would of thought them to be out of there bloody mind. But that was before he meet Bess Zeller. Not only was she fit, but she didn't annoy him like most girls did and could actually hold a converstation with him. So now he found himself at the christmas party with a date.

Normally, he would attend things like this alone. He like to keep his options open to whom he might be taking home at night, but now, he had Bess and believe it or not, having a girlfriend had its perks. It was so much less work than trying to find someone in a crowd of people. Not to mention she practically hung on every word that came out of his mouth. Like he said, easy.

He scanned the crowd looking for her, she had left a few minutes ago for the loo and she should of been back by now. Chester furrowed his brow when he finally spotted her off dancing with someone else. He wasn't quite sure who that was but he did look like he was getting a little too friendly with his girlfriend.

He wasted no time making he way over to where she was. "May I cut in?" he said from behind Bess. His voice portraying the perfect gentlemanly boyfriend, while the look in his eye clearly told the boy to back the fuck off. He took her hand and gracefully spun her around to face him, careful that she didn't see the look that his face previously held. "Doll, you left me to dance with other men? I'm wounded." he said in a fake mock hurt.

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[info]bestzeller
2009-07-21 03:14 am UTC (link)
"It's only Vinny," Bess said with a slight roll of her eyes, leaning heavily into Chester. He'd been her prefect partner since 5th year, and friend since way before then, so. All right, maybe they dated for a few months last year but that didn't mean anything now. He was just friendly, and she was more willing to oblige!

It really didn't help that he was ruddy gorgeous and loved clinging on to her whenever possible.

Anyway, Bess let out a chirp of a laugh at the new song that started playing and wrapped her arms around Chester's neck. She really did love having a boyfriend, especially one as handsome and smart as Chester. She'd always found him attractive, and when they'd met up this summer in Diagon Alley, she'd gotten the nerve to approach him and yes. Bess usually got what she wanted, so. She swayed and moved probably inappropriately close to Chester, humming along to the song.

"Are you having fuuuuun?"

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[info]chesters
2009-07-22 12:36 am UTC (link)
Vinny. Hmph. It took all Chester had not to wrinkle his nose up in disgust. He never really did like him, he hung far to close to Bess for his liking.

He smirked slightly as Bess danced closer to him, a welcomed distraction from his current thoughts. "I certainly am now." he said softly in her ear as he slid his hand down her side and rested it on her hip. He really didn't want to come out to this party originally, he had much better plans for the evening, but Bess wanted to come, and well Chester really couldn't say no when she asked so nicely (and pouted), but now, now he was happy that he came, his plans might come into play after all.

And even if he didn't, he had plans for New Year's that he was positive Bess would love, more than this stupid party. Because really, who could say no to Paris? Fabulous christmas present it was. He really did have the best ideas.

"Hmm, tell me love, what are your plans for New Year's?" he asked punctuating the question with a kiss below her ear followed by one on her jaw then her lips.

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