  The first chance that she got, Rose immediately shied away from the cameras, and the press, to escape the stress associated with attending important quidditch events such as this one. Not that--- she wasn't really anyone important, as the general interest in reserves tended to be low, but since Pride management had told the entire team to wear purple tonight, there seemed to be a bit of blurred lines going on by the interviewers. Thankfully she'd the foresight to place herself partially concealed, eased into a sense of security by the always-familiar Gideon Prewett throughout the entire thing and now... she was free to roam.
The event locale was expansive, an estate obviously turned into a one-time host for the night, and Rose had taken to wandering though its halls. She supposed she shouldn't really be leaving the areas where most everyone was, but her desire for a bit of quiet time was great, and her interested in getting a glimpse at this house's library was as well. You really couldn't blame your guests when architecture this interesting was present.
Eventually, Rose did stumble upon what she was looking for (floor to ceiling shelves! And the smell of parchment was overpowering), but her assumption that she would be alone was incorrect. There was someone already here.
Across the room, propped up at a small table with a book in his hands was a dark-haired wizard. He had not yet seemed to notice her arrival, which Rose took as consent to openly stare and take him in.
He was wearing socks that did not match (she knew because he had taken his shoes off) and his robes seemed a bit astray, like they had been sewn improperly or buttoned incorrectly. And he was sitting on the ground. But somehow, this strangeness did not seem to alarm or bother her, instead simply intrigued her. His face was still hidden, and it wasn't until she had taken a few steps forward and his head popped up that she realized she could be intruding on someone that was meant to be here.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...." Rose trailed off, as she realized who this was. She remembered him from Hogwarts, this was Octavius Pepper. He had been nice. Or, at least, she deemed that he had been the least outlandish, loud, and terrifying than the rest of his housemates she'd encountered over the years. It had been a bit of time, not that it had been unkind to him, but she--- remembered him.
Rose watched Octavius watch her for a moment, his face frozen for a second before---
"Rose Knightley!" he let out, snapping the book in his hands shut. "The Ravenclaw I almost killed in Magical Creatures," he laughed quickly, and she thought it soothing. He stood up (had he always been that tall?), brushing off the front of his robes.
"Octavius Pepper," she smiled, slightly, as she thought she did not remember him being this handsome, either. What else did she not remember about this former Gryffindor? She certainly would not have expected to find him here, that was for sure.
He looked up once she said his name, and smiled which--- surprisingly and confusingly struck her. Either his teeth were unnaturally white or he had actually perfected the art of smiling. Rose blushed, a bit, and pushed some hair behind her ear.
"Yes," was all she could muster, almost feeling flushed at the moment. But she recovered, and pressed her lips together. "I promise, I actually talk, now," she joked, as anyone outside of Ravenclaw who had remotely encountered her in school could say she had not been one of many words.
"Yeah?" Octavius laughed again, and she stepped forward, suddenly finding herself very-much at ease. This was--- a pleasant surprise, he was.
"Good, because this is boring," he shook the book slightly as he spoke, "And I don't want to go back out there." For clarification he pointed back toward the door, and she nodded. She could agree with him on that.
"I'm ready, then," she responded, and then calmly eased herself down to the ground. Rose's only further movement was to indicate the empty floor across from her with her hand. Hopefully he had some rather exciting life stories to bring up, or else he would be stuck with an endless supply on her part about how Thomas McCormack and Kendall Broadmoor had become undoubtably the most ridiculous roommates in all of of Great Britain.
  Alice Goodsmith was honest to Merlin the most beautiful girl Frank had ever had the honor of laying eyes on. Her hair just--- blazed in the sun, her scent made his mind crisscross, and her smile made him question how any other girl could ever be deemed 'pretty.' She was beautiful, there was no question about it in his mind, just like how he was convinced she was at least half veela. How could she not be, with her pealed laughter and graceful presence-- not to mention whenever she approached him Frank felt his brains leave, like he had never learned to breathe let alone speak. She turned him into a neanderthal, that's what she did, and she would never even look twice at him because who would notice a bloke that barely spoke four words to you on a monthly basis? Frank's shoulders dropped, and he felt his head tip slightly with them. Just look at her now-- studious in History of Magic, no one save a saint could accomplish that. Yet there she was, shooting quick smiles at Marlie McKinnon next to her between scribbling. She was--- perfect. The perfect girl, the perfect witch that he couldn't get because he couldn't form proper sentences around her. Or apparently function like a normal human being. You would think that being friends with Marlie for so long would help him in the slightest, but it really--- A sharp jab in the ribs snapped Frank from his stupor, and he shot up straight in his seat. James Potter quietly snorted beside him as he retracted his hand, and for that Frank volleyed a nasty glare. Oy, like no one had caught him staring dreamily at Lily Evans in class before. To add insult to injury, another row over Sirius Black began to make silent kissing gestures, vivid enactments included. Frank screwed his mouth up tight and slitted his eyes. Oh, right, like they were poster children for relationships. Lily routinely recoiled at the sight of James, and Frank would be shocked if Sirius ever managed to keep down a relationship longer than a homework assignment. Frank let out a scoff, and jerkily twisted his head to look away from them. What did they know? Except annoying pranks and secrets. Alice would never have the slightest interest in one of them. She wouldn't. She wouldn't at all. This thought considerably brightened his mood, and Frank went back to ignoring everyone else around him, except for her. His thoughts turned, and like always, they focused to the one that had taken over him upon their very first meeting long ago. He was going to marry this witch, if it was the last thing he did. |
