Post by Trevor Williams on Apr 1, 2012 13:10:12 GMT -8
Evie Winslow = Summer
Casey Winslow, Jared Turner, Trevor Williams = Me
Serena Riley = Layni
Hermione Granger = former member
December 15, 2000
Here it was that time of year once again, the winter solstice which meant the Yule celebrations and of course the Yule ball always came with it. Normally she would be more than happy to supervise and orcistrate the decorating as usually happened to any Charms professor when it came time to decorate for some occasion but this year Evie just didn’t want to have anything to do with it. Between the late and frequent meetings with Voldemort and the more than frequent fights and arguments with Casey, Evie just didn’t care anymore and even thou she helped her heart wasn’t all there.
The hall looked nice once the finished product was done but that was all credit to the team of 4th year and above students that helped her. Evie let them have at it while she stood back and watched, offering a suggestion here of there on how to hang something or where to move it to. They all seemed happy with the final outcome and as long as they were happy with it, then so was she.
Evie let all her students leave to go get ready for the dance while she stayed behind and finished what ever was left to be done. She, of course was ready ahead of time just for that purpose (having left Casey to get ready on his own and take care of Julian, get him to where ever it was he needed to be) Even if things between them were steady for the moment she still tended to avoid him from time to time just so she could have a night without some argument or disagreement. She had grown to like Trey’s company, he was always a friendly face when ever she needed one, wasn’t involved with the Order and as far as she knew, knew anything about it and that her and Casey were apart of it. He didn’t talk about Voldemort or try to push an issue on her like Casey did as of late, easy to talk to, nice enough, so what if he was a few years older Trey still made for a good friend and lended an ear when ever she needed one.
The clock tower struck 8 and Evie along with the other professors that were helping had just put the finishing touch to the hall, with a wave of her wand the lights were dimmed and the doors opened so the children could enter. Evie stood by the door, greeting people and directing others to tables or other professors and what not, mostly staying off to the side to herself when ever she wasn’t needed. Eyes looking over the hall quickly for Casey or Trey or someone else but other than that Evie remained at the punch table, taking the empty glasses and filling them, setting the full ones on the table so they were ready to easily and quickly be taken when ever they were needed.
Casey didn't even know why he was here, really. After all, he and Evie were fighting frequently now-a-days, which frustrated him to no end. Why should he even bother getting dressed up in dress robes and coming down to the Great Hall for the Yule Ball when it was possible they would barely exchange a word? Sure, he wanted to see his wife dressed up again. It had been a while since the last time. There'd been some of the nicer parties around the holidays with the Quidditch team, but that was about it. This was the Christmas season..supposedly a time of miracles, right? Well, maybe he was daring to hope for some sort of miracle. He knew that tonight wasn't going to heal everything if anything at all, but at least it was worth a try. If she wouldn't dance with him, he supposed he'd just have to become a wall flower and simply chaperone. Boring, considering he'd always had her at the Yule Balls in the past, but this year was different.
He descended the stairs from the first floor on which the professor common room was located down to the ground floor and around the corridor into the Great Hall. The decorations were, as usual, impressive. But, though they were creative, it felt to him like something was missing. He wasn't sure what, though, so he decided not to put much thought into it. Julian was at his mum and dad's, so he and Evie had the night alone...at least, as alone as they could be in a room full of people until the ball was over and it was time to retire. They had that stupid outing with the Headmaster the following morning, so they couldn't stay up too late, but all the same. At least they could be alone to try to work some things out without having to worry about scaring their son. He didn't want or plan on arguing, but it seemed to have become simply a fact of life recently.
His eyes left the large Christmas tree to search the room for Evie. Small groups of students congregated here or there, but he spotted a lone figure near the punch table and recognized the woman as his wife. She looked gorgeous as always, but he wasn't sure he could tell her that. Was there an invisible boundary that was built because of their arguing that would be crossed if he did something like that? He remained where he was for a few moments before deciding to close the gap between them considerably and move within talking distance at least. He didn't dare wrap an arm around her waist until it seemed it was safe for his health to do so. "Hey, Evie," he said, stopping a little to her side where he was slightly in front of her. "The decorations are beautiful," he continued, swallowing a little, "but not nearly as beautiful as you."
Jared, being the merry person he is, had come early to help out with decorations, singing various carols as the ghosts would pass by singing them, sending him on a bit of a singing spree in his own little world as he helped hang garland or levitate an ornament to the desired spot, not really paying much attention to the world around him except when he was asked to do something. He wasn't even quite sure where Serena was at the moment. Yeah, yeah, he should have more of an idea, but he was too lost in his own world to notice at the moment. He figured she was probably getting all fancied up for him or something. Besides, it wasn't like she was his wife even if she was his fiancée. She may as well be with the way they'd been the past few years, but he was too afraid of tying the knot for some reason. The end of his freedom, he supposed, not that he was making much use of it now. He was entirely devoted to her whenever he was aware someone was around him. She was enough to bring him out of his own little world at any given moment, probably the only one who could hold his too-short attention span for much, much longer than it usually was held. It had been that way pretty much from the beginning.
But anyway, as the finishing touches were being put on, Jared sat himself down at a side table, kicking back and relaxing after all the 'hard' work he'd put in, being one of the few men there, closing his eyes, propping an ankle against his other knee, his hands clasped and behind his head as he sat quite comfortably with his eyes closed. An eye opened as he heard a group of students walk by, laughing about something. Seemed they had come as a group of friends instead of with individual dates, but that didn't really matter to Jared as he decided to open both eyes and look around lazily for Serena. She was sure to be especially beautiful tonight, considering everyone got dressed up for this. Even he was in his dressrobes, even if he despised the things more than words could ever express. But, he wanted to look nice for her. Fitting in with the crowd had never mattered, but ever since they had got together, he'd tried his best to act and dress like normal people would at formal occasions while adding a spark of his own personality. For example, tonight his dress robes had Christmas lights rigged around the collar and sleeves and the hem of the robes, and his tie was flashing different shades. Ok, so perhaps he never truly fit in with the normal people classification, but since when did he care? Never. And so long as Serena didn't bite his head off, he would never care.
It was going to be the first Yule Ball she had probably ever looked forwards to. She had someone to dance with, he would be watching his behaviour, and she was engaged. Tonight, she could finally waltz right out there just as good as any of her childhood friends and enjoy the same kind of experiance. It was so too perfect. Well, as perfect as things got here at Hogwarts, and while Casey and Evie were on the rocks. She sighed to herself and put another pin into her hair trying to get the elaborate curled hairstyle she had been working on to stay for once. She sighed in satisfaction when she was finally finished. She didn't look half bad for her. With her makeup done and her hair set in perfection, a holding spell daring it to come down, Serena slipped into her dress and walked out of her little room.
As she made her way down she realized that she hadn't seen Jared all day. Would be kind of nice to see him dressed up for once. Would be interesting to see how he managed that one on his own. It was the one thing she never could get him to fix...She sighed to herself and shrugged, smoothing out her own blue gown before heading into the doors of the ball with a group of students in front of her. She heard them laughing and she turned to see where they were looking and immediatly shook her head: Jared in a flashing dress robe and a color changing tie.
Serena closed her eyes and silently went through her favorite invisibility spell walking over to the place where she would find possibly the most comfort: Evie and Casey. She sighed despite her invisible state and leaned her head on Evie's shoulder. "We're not even married yet and I regret saying yes...Is there a spell that can fix him?"
Trevor Williams, better known hereabouts as the school's headmaster Trey Hunter, hadn't exactly been present during the whole decorating process. He knew the Charm's professor did a good job each year with decorations. Evie could handle it on her own. But, he had come in during the last fifteen minutes or so and helped out in his nice, all-black attire. His hair had been parted off to the side instead of straight back like some men do. Overall, he was pleased with his appearance, and it seemed some of the older girls had taken notice of his looks, but of course, he ignored their pointless giggling and chatter as they worked and just pretended like he didn't notice. He watched that Jared fellow as he worked, having half a mind to place a silencing spell on him. Sure, his voice wasn't exactly horrible but it wasn't the nicest on earth even if it was tolerable. The christmas light-trimmed dress robes and flashing tie were over-the-top, but what else was to be expected from that man? He had half a mind to send him to Mungo's insanity ward for a bit of a psycho analysis. He wasn't quite all there as far as Trevor could tell. Trevor couldn't stand people like Jared, but he put up with him for sake of the mission. If he needed to get another Death Eater in, he'd simply do away with him. 'Wasn't watching where he was going and took a little tumble off the cliff.' Sadly, such an explanation would be a believable for someone like Jared.
After the decorations had been finished, Trevor had disappeared for a while to go take care of some things in his office and was now returning just before the clock chimed, heaving a sigh as he shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing at the clock and then around the room. Seemed that Winslow was heading over to his wife and seeing as he was supposed to be gaining her trust, he didn't feel like stirring up things quite yet. Maybe make a play on Casey's jealousy later. Evie seemed to like men in black, after all. Cater to her every weakness. Hmm...he'd hate to see Casey's reaction then. After all, the man had become quite jealous when he'd held Evie's eye contact for too long that night in the common room or looked her over one too many times. The man was much too easy to make jealous. Something to play off of, as well. Was the jealousy because he felt like he couldn't trust her? But, hopefully that wouldn't have to come, if all went down the next day at The Three Broomsticks properly to end this marriage for good. So far no hitch in the plan. As far as he knew, no one even suspected his being a Death Eater since Voldemort's return. He'd been here since Voldemort's death three years ago, after all, so people knew and trusted him. He'd been careful not to gain suspicion ever since Voldemort came back this time.
Seeing as there wasn't much that Trevor could do and he didn't want to talk to the strange Divination professor, he walked over to the head table, sitting down in his spot and taking a sip of his punch that he'd grabbed off the table on his way over (being sure to make eye contact with Evie for a moment). Tonight would be a long night if he couldn't get Evie away from Casey, but he had faith in Casey--at least that he would manage to ruin things for the evening. Man never did seem to be able to keep his cool lately. Ah, the joys of being able to watch from the sidelines as a Death Eater. He orchestrated everything, played them like puppets. It was incredibly pleasing to watch them walk right into his hands. That pride cometh before a fall didn't seem to come to Trevor's mind at all. He was arrogant all the time around others and in his opinions of others. So, why should he care? For now, he was going to make the most of the night. Let them have their last night together, kiss and make up for all he cared. After all, that would make it hurt even worse to Evie tomorrow if all went according to plan.
Dip, pour and down; dip, pour and down. . That was what kept repeating in her mind as Evie dipped the ladle into the reddish color punch, pouring it into the cup and setting it down on the table. She felt like a robot programmed to do the same thing constantly, but, it kept her busy so she didn’t have to stop and take care of something else or talk to someone she really didn’t want to talk to. The only thing she hated about this was how careful she had to be not to spill any of that red liquid on her white dress. So when Casey walked up and stood beside her yet still in front of her Evie didn’t notice right away, much to bored to be paying attention, until he spoke to her. Stopping about mid pour and looking up, offering him a small smile at his greeting. Hey with that done Evie went back and finished filling that cup, figuring that was going to be all he was going to say to her. So when he said the decorations were beautiful but not as much as her Evie looked up again, this time with a larger smile on her face, leaning over the bowl a little so she could give him a small kiss on the lips. thanks
Casey was still her husband, and even if they had been fighting about every other night they still had some good times. Besides that, it just didn’t feel right not to have done that after him saying something of the sort to her. She handed him the glass of punch she had in her hand, the only thing she had to offer, in an odd way it becoming a sort of peace offering for the night. "You look handso-"
Evie picked up another glass as she began to speak, grabbing the handle of the ladle again and moving a floating lemon slice out of her way, -didn’t want that in her drink- about to pour herself a glass when there was this strange feeling of pressure on her shoulder. Evie looked around very confused, (having stopped her train of thought on how Casey looked, not having seen any one or thing. When Serena started talking Evie looked out toward the center of the room to see the walking light show and put two and two together. Smirking to herself and giving a small laugh. "Sweetie, I don’t think there’s enough magic in the world that can fix him," she told her friend, a hand coming up to give Serena a few pats of comfort, not knowing exactly if she was patting her head or shoulder, looking up at Casey figuring he probably thought her insane if he didn’t hear Serena speak. Evie motioned her head a little to the side toward her shoulder and then motioned it out in Jared’s direction, mouthing it’s Serena to Casey. Glancing over in Treys direction when he walked up to the table to grab a drink, smiling at him, making eye contact for a brief second. Even if she wasnt staring at him she couldnt help but notice his choice in dress robes, her one of many weakness's
Hermione had joined the students and other teachers in decorating the hall. However she specialized in starlight, her incantations allowed the tops of the trees to glisten like real stars and she taught the spell to some of her older students. At eight she left with the students talking to a seventh year girl from Ravenclaw who was asking questions about a career in Astronomy. Hermione bid the girl goodbye and headed for her tower office and apartments. She recalled the last time she dressed up for such an occasion was in her fifth year...during the Triwiziard Tournament, she went with Viktor.
Hermione slipped into a indigo strapless gown and matching high heels. She bewitched her curls to fall gracefully from the crown of her head. Having no fancy jewels of her own she simply tied a black satin ribbon around her neck and looked in the mirror. Why was she going? Hermione was asking the same question of herself, however her feet led her to the main hall and she paused at the door. Lifting her skirt slightly she sweeped into the room and put on a smile...immediately she felt out a place. She wished she had Harry with her, he could make her feel comfortable...Ron would have made her feel at home. But in their absence Hermione headed for her place at the staff table.
Thanking the elves she took a glass of sparkling champagne and sipped it slightly before taking a seat and watching the festivities. She had no inclination to join Casey and Evie because together they were still strange...she hardly knew Serena and Jared only meeting them from the head table and the Headmaster...was as reserved as ever however he kept a close eyes on the Winslows...or was it just Evie. Taking another sip Hermione dropped her gaze and watched the students dance. She smiled weakly and wondered what her parents were doing.
"Ah, the yule ball."
Casey swallowed and let out a quiet sigh as he watched Evie look back up at him with a smile. He hadn't realized how much he'd really missed it. He knew he had, but the relief it brought to see it on her face because of something he'd said after so many weeks of fighting now was so wonderful to see. One of his own spread over his lips though his expression still held some nervousness and uncertainty as he shifted his cup of punch to his left hand, looking down at it for a moment as she leaned forward to give him that kiss, being caught off guard by it due to that fact. He normally would have insisted on a bit longer kiss since there wasn't anyone around trying to talk to them, but as it was, he didn't want to try his luck. "Anytime," he told her, the corners of his lips twitching up briefly.
He wasn't quite sure what was going on at first when Evie stopped in the middle of saying that he was handsome. She seemed to look around highly confused for a few moments and then suddenly glance back to Jared and then commenced to say how she didn't think anything in the world could fix him. Why was she calling him 'Sweetie'? And why was she talking about Jared? And what had made her so confused? Was she going mad? Must be, only explanation for it, and apparently his raised brow was enough to make Evie realize his train of thought as she mouthed to him that it was Serena as she motioned her head towards her shoulder and then back towards where Jared was.
Casey couldn't blame Serena for wanting to hide like she was. That must be awful to have such a man as a date. Seemed she should just make sure he was dressed normally for any event from now on for the rest of their life or their marriage...if they got married? He was quite surprised that Jared had even asked her to marry him. Why had the man done something like that? He just didn't seem the type. That man wasn't conventional, so why should any aspect of his life be conventional? "At least the kids will love him. He'll be a big hit at birthday parties and holidays and..." he trailed off, looking towards the shoulder where Evie had indicated with her head earlier as he spoke. He felt crazy talking to an invisible person, and to anyone else, it must look insane. After all, imaginary friends were a thing of the past. If it didn't look crazy, it would look like they were arguing but trying to look as though they weren't by smiling and looking around.
"Indeed, and it seems despite her own life circumstances Evie's managed to outdo herself. The decorations are spectacular this year--the best in a couple years, actually. I particularly like the effect of the Christmas tree lighting...almost like stars," Trevor commented, glancing over at Hermione as she came and sat at the head table. He had to admit that the young woman looked beautiful in her indigo dress and her hair fashioned the way it was. His eyes began to leave her and scan over the crowd as he told her, "You look nice this evening." It wasn't like she was taken or he as far as anyone knew. Of course, Amie and he were going together, but she being a Death Eater as well as he without anyone's knowledge, she knew to keep her distance on any given night for sake of his mission.
He was simply biding his time for the right time to set everythign in motion. He was weaseling his way into Evie's life, had been for a while now, and tomorrow he would become the only person she would go to for help when her world would come crashing down around her at the sight of her husband with another woman. Even he didn't know all the details as to how Morgana would do it, but she'd promised him it would work, and he was going to trust that she would make good on her word at least this once. After all, if she didn't, she'd have Voldemort to deal with. One mistake could jeopardize the entire mission.
Hermione really hadn't noticed how loud she said that but the response from the Headmaster told her it was loud enough. Looking to her right at him she smiled in greeting and took another small sip of champagne to hide her embarrassment and replacing the glass on the table she turned in her seat (about three away from Trey) to look at the Headmaster. He commented lightly on the decorations but it struck her as odd that he would mention Evie and her martial troubles for Hermione didn't think it fitting to be public about it when they, at the moment, seemed content if not happy.
However he drew her attention toward the twelve trees that were summoned into the hall and she rested her chin on her left fist and smiled. They decorations were grand each one towering high above the students almost halfway to the enchanted ceiling where conveniently snow began to fall. At Trey's comment at the starlight a small smile spread across her face. She would not bother to correct him, but the artist in her loved to hear her work was appreciated and she nodded in agreement. Her addition of twinkling silver stars juxtaposed by the golden light of the torches gave the hall a regal feel.
And further still he surprised her with a compliment. Hermione looked at him surprised and then her face soften and she smiled although lightly blushing and pushed her bangs away from her eyes. Something about the Headmaster piqued her curiosity and concern all at the same time but never the less tonight she thought more of him as a person and replied.
"I agree the hall looks fantastic. I was here while she was working with the students but it seemed so very different...Thank you for your compliment Headmaster. You look very dashing this evening as well."
Serena groaned slightly when Evie responded and then practically had to use Evie's shoulder as support when Casey mentioned kids. No kids! She loved Julian. Really she did. She was his auntie Serena after all. The boy had spent quite a bit of time with her and he really was smart. Impuslive like his parents, but a little darling none the less. She loved Jared dearly, but she could not see them having kids as much as she wanted them. He taught, but he was always a bit awkward when they had to watch the kids. Maybe it was the responsibility or the idea that he would be in charge of a life. He knew that she could take care of herself. Perhaps that was why he had preposed. She was able to fend for herself with or without him. That was maybe just something formal so that they could live together and get the privliges of marriage and be recognized in public. She had no idea. He certaintly wasn't acting like a grown man, especially not with this behavior.
No kids. He can't handle children for more than a quick babysitting job or an hour class with second years at the youngest. I'm not saying he's good with them, he just...he just isn't ready." She sighed and shook her head, still invisible. "I don't know if I would be able to handle kids. I already have one big baby... She smiled and sighed again looking over at him. I do love him. I really do, when we're alone he's much better, but now...in public...in large groups...its too much."
Evie laughed a little, shaking her head at Serena thou not doing so to much so Serenas head didnt fall from her shoulder. "Oh, come on Serena, Jared isnt...that....bad," she continued on, looking over in the direction of the human light show and trying not to laugh more. She loved Jared as a friend, he was very amusing but the complete oposite of Serena, they were living proff of the saying opposites attract.
Casey rose a brow at Evie's comment about Jared not being that bad. "He's certainly unconventional. I'm surprised he never thought about getting a job as a circus clown." Maybe it wasn't the best thing he'd come up with to say in his lifetime, but ah well. He doubted Serena would take offense. To him, that would probably make Jared a good father, and maybe he'd even manage to grow up with the children. With Serena's help, he'd figure out exactly how to dress in public without drawing the crowd's attention to him wherever he walked like he was tonight with the walking Christmas light display that the hems of his sleeves and the bottom of his robes as well as tie were. Serena was more than capable, and if she couldn't, Casey doubted anyone would ever be able to do that then.
"Why don't you just use an invisibility charm or a vanishing charm on the lights...leave him with his tie and insist it's world's better? Maybe he'll listen to you." It was the only way he ever saw Serena leaving them alone tonight to dance with her fiance. After all, he knew Serena well enough that being on the arm of a walking light show wasn't exactly Serena's favorite place. She seemed to be the type to more or less enjoy flying under the radar whenever possible even if she was far more open now than she had been five years ago when they had been in school themselves.
Serena sighed and shook her head. She really didn't know why she was marrying him. What she had been wasting all that time for with him. He had been getting a little better, but she still questioned it. Maybe she shouldn't have pushed him so hard. She really shouldn't have. He just wasn't anything like her old...well, then again her old boyfriend had turned out to be a deatheater and that was fifth year hogwarts. He tried to kill her after all, couldn't exactly call that healthy in the least. She sighed and shook her head as Casey suggested the circus. "I'm inclined to agree. He could look good in between the midget and the bearded lady. Just have to hire someone to feed him and groom him occasionally so he doesn't forget. Come to think of it, he probably did think of that as a carrer choice at one point."
She sighed and shook her head again. That wouldn't work. He would notice the lights were gone and go on his speeches about squelching individuality and start pouting. The best was just to leave him be, maybe go back to the room and feign illness. "No, i'll probably just go back to the room and do what I did all through school."
"Thank you, Hermione," Trevor replied with a smile. Oh gosh, if they kept on with the pleasantries, he was going to hurl. He hated them to begin with, always had, even in his youth in Bulgaria. It always felt so fake when people went back and forth like this. But, he didn't know Hermione very well (aside from whatever he'd learned during their meeting in Dervish and Banges) even when he'd been headmaster here for three years already, so he didn't know exactly what to mention to strike up a conversation with her. He supposed he could nosedive off the deep end and decide to bring up something random or he could be boring and ask about how her classes were going, but he felt no incentive or obligation to do either. All the same, he knew he could and he would. Anything beat sitting here bored silly--even watching Casey and Evie go at each other's throats. Yes, even he didn't enjoy that sight.
Yule Ball...dancing. Yes, dancing. That would definitely keep him occupied. He might be the man in charge here and supposed to be watching the students, but he could do that just as well, if not better, out on the dance floor. After all, if he was out there with them, there was no way they could get away with inappropriate dancing, right? Well, far less chance, anyway, for the ones that were dancing near him. "Well, putting on a dress that beautiful and just sitting here's no good. Maybe we could finish our conversation out on the dance floor?" Easy as pie. Just ask, and he'd receive an answer and accept it no matter what it was, but just in case, he stood, offering her his hand as he asked the question.
"Oh no you wont," Evie said, shaking her head as she set her glass of punch down on the table. Serena was not going to sit this one out and there was no way she was going to let her when she had someone right here that was probably looking for her. After setting down her glass Evie turned around so she was facing Serena (or at least she thought she was, no telling really) "You're going to take that charm off and your going to go over there and your going to dance, and laugh and have fun," Evie 'ordered' making a gester in jareds direction so Serena would go
The walking light show's Christmas tree green robes flowed behind him, though the movement was more or less restricted because of the Christmas lights around the hem, as he made his way around the Great Hall, looking for the love of his life who probably looked much less like a Christmas tree than he did. He was oblivious to the students laughing at his ridiculous dress robes as his mind was focused on only one thing: finding Serena. He definitely wasn't a multi-tasker. Having found her nowhere else, Jared returned to where he'd been, spotting Casey and Evie near the punch table and walking over to ask them if they'd seen Serena only to notice something rather peculiar....Evie was talking to herself.
What was wrong with her? Was she giving herself a pep talk? He knew that Casey and Evie were having some problems, but were they bad enough that she couldn't go near him without such a talk to herself? Casey seemed to be happy enough, though, watching his wife's back or whatever the heck he was watching, which in and of itself seemed strange to Jared. Wasn't it more or less more natural to want to stare at a woman's face or elsewhere on them? His eyes looked between the odd couple with confusion for a few moments before walking up to Casey and waving a hand before the other man's face, getting Casey to look at him. "Everything alright, mate?" Jared asked and Casey gave a simple nod and a bit of an amused look.
What was with those looks he was getting? He blinked a few times after trying to figure out once again what Evie was doing, walking over to her and tapping her on the shoulder. These people were crazy. "Erm...excuse me, Evie. Sorry for interrupting your chat with...um, yourself. But, erm...I was wondering if you've seen Serena?" he said, his looks showing he was still wondering if she was feeling well, maybe a little concern over whether or not she was stark mad and whether or not he wanted to talk to her and risk upsetting her. After all, he wouldn't want a raving lunatic going off on him, now, would he?
Evie turned around when she felt someone tapping her shoulder, expecting it to be Casey or Trey or a student...not Jared and by the looks of things he thought her stark mad! Evie smiled a little awkwardly for a moment as she tried to think of what to do...have him think her looney or show him where Serena was.... Actually, yes, I do know where she is Evie said giving Serena a hard nudge with her elbow so Serena made some kind of noise so that Jared knew she was there. Shes a bit embaressed...a bit of a class room demostration gone wrong I'm afraid and a bit of a funny story -which Im sure she would love to tell you all about- it seems the invisablity charm has stayed in effect longer than it should and Serena came looking for me to see if I knew the counter spell, which, lucy for her I do Evie explained as she took out her wand and gave it a wave in Serenas direction, the cloaking speel disaperaring so now instead of what looked like a empty space was now filled with the beautiful Serena Riley. Evie reached out and grabbed Serenas arm and began to pull her a little so she would leave, giving her a light push in Jareds directon. See, all better. Now you can go enjoy the dance without any worries.. Evie knew Serena would probably kill her later on but this was for her own good, she had to enjoy life sometimes.
Oh Merlin's beard. How was she supposed to get out of this one. Evie would expose her before she had a chance to sneak out. That was for sure. She sighed and shook her head quietly. There was only one solution, trying to sneak in. She was going to move when Evie started talking. She heard what was going on. She sighed and shook her head again as Evie aimed her wand. She really was going to do this wasn't she. Yep she did it. Serena smiled silghtly as Evie revealed her and waved sligtly, half heartedly really, at Jared. "Thanks Evie I owe you one, but i'm not sure if se can dance with so many wires between us."
Ok, so maybe Evie hadn't gone stark mad, but it certainly had seemed she was off her bloody rocker when he first came near her. But wow...why would Serena have needed to use an invisibility spell in Transfiguration class? He certainly couldn't remember such a thing when he was in school. That sounded more like Charms to him, but ah well. It really didn't matter now, did it? At least she was visible now and Evie had fixed it all and made it so he could see the effort Serena had put into how she looked and he couldn't help but smile at the sight of her, any confusion now gone and left his quickly forgetting mind. She looked pretty damn good to him. That much was certain. Her comment was lost on him, but he did look to Evie and say, "Thank you."
He looked back to Serena, offering her his arm before looking back to Evie and Casey (Casey having moved to be behind his wife, his arm around her, hand resting on her waist). "If you'll excuse us, we'll be off," he told them before working to escort Serena off towards the dance floor. "You look lovely tonight, Serena," he complimented as he stopped a few feet away from where Evie and Casey were. He brought her hand to his lips and gave her a light kiss. It was somewhat random, but that was Jared for you. He never planned anything or really thought about it beforehand unless it was a major decision or topic at hand.
She had overstayed her welcome and she knew that the minute she saw Casey grab Evie's waist. With the problems the two of them had been having lately she felt bad about crashing, but this had been an emergency. She sighed and forced a small smile as she was led away from Jared. At least he had appreciated the effort she put into how she looked. He had put in effort, if it weren't for the lights and the tie he would look rather handsome actually, but with all of that on she had to say it was a bit over the top if not utterly ridiculous and the wrong kind of effort compleately.
Despite how ridiculous he looked, or how oblivious he was, he still was Jared and he still somehow managed to charm his way out of it as he brought her hand to his lips. She smiled softly and shook her head. "Thank you."
Jared smiled and nodded, looking around a bit before looking back to Serena. "Shall we dance?" he asked, completely oblivious to her opinion as to how he was dressed. He was all for individuality even in the most formal ocassions. He couldn't understand how so many people conformed to the idea of all black or black and white or something like that. Why not stand out, dare to be different? Playing it safe was for those who weren't confident with who they were. Serena was confident enough, but she didn't dare to live very much, now, did she? Nope. He loved her to pieces, but he wished he could somehow get her to loosen up more often, dare to take down her limitations to herself and how she dared act or dress. But, she was conventional, so much more than he had ever been.
How one dressed was an extension of himself and who he was as was the way one acted. Why put on airs or put up formalities? It was all so stiff and false. At least the way he was, even if some didn't care for hiim or thought him completely aloof, he was being honest. One could believe what he said to be sincere, what he was really thinking. He had no restrictions about him. To him, life couldn't possibly be fun any other way.
The answer to the question was two sided: yes she wanted to dance with him, but no, not like this. She would have said yes if it weren't for the practically dancing lightshow on his robes. She almost felt blind trying to look at it. She smiled sweetly and nodded. She didn't have the heart to tell him that he looked like an immature freak and he was embaressing her. She knew how he prided himself on originality, but that could be found beyond the outside, and shown at times beyond formal events. He needed to learn how to blend a little more. "I would love to if you think you can with all those wires."
Jared looked from Serena to his dress robes. Sure, there were Christmas lights around his collar and then around his sleeves and the bottom of his dress robes, but there was nothing in the way of wires that he could see that could possibly even get in the way of their dancing or cause any unnecessary accidents. He'd made sure of that, rigged them so that magic was what kept them lit. Otherwise, he'd be stationary, and he obviously hadn't wanted that. "I can, Serena," he said, looking back up to her as though he couldn't figure out for the life of him why she thought there could possibly be any problem with that, and really he couldn't.
He'd come to this ball for her. He had a purpose for being there. Ever since that one he'd met her at, he'd been coming. If it weren't for her, he'd probably have skipped out on this one with all the tension he felt building in the castle and all the disturbing things that he got as a general vibe from certain people. But, as it was, he wanted to show her a good time and dance with her. At least that part of him was conventional--dancing. There weren't many other ways to dance without looking like a little kid who just got a new toy.
Casey watched the two leave, glancing down at Evie and realizing where exactly his hand was. It was only natural for him to put his arm around her waist even after all these months, so surely Evie would understand if she minded but he hoped that she wouldn't mind. He brought his forgotten cup of punch up to his lips and took a sip, not bothering to remove his arm from around her. It was nice to be close to her, not arguing. He just hoped it could remain that way for the rest of the night. He didn't want to start a scene in the middle of the Yule Ball and become the talk of the school when school commenced again in January. He didn't want to argue period, even if they were outside or alone somewhere. He just wanted a break from all the arguing. It was becoming far too normal for them, and he didn't like that at all. Sure, she'd managed eventually to talk him into coming back and bringing Julian with him, but the arguments kept happening no matter how much effort he put into trying to avoid them.
"Promise me we won't argue tonight?" he asked sincerely, looking down into her eyes. He knew that the holidays would make things more stressful for the both of them, which was why he was thinking about maybe taking his family off somewhere to avoid having to worry about getting presents for everyone and getting dressed up and going around to places. They didn't need that added stress. Just worry about the three of them and no one else, try to fix things over break, and if they could avoid arguing tonight, then he would be able to believe they stood a fighting chance. If they couldn't, then he didn't know what to think. He didn't want their end to be ugly at least for Julian's sake, even his own and her own sakes. He didn't want it to end period, but if they couldn't get past this needless arguing, then there was no reason to stay together. It would only get uglier and uglier til Julian grew to resent them both the older he got. He didn't want that.
"Your welcome" Evie said to Jared when he thanked her for ‘fixing’ Serena, watching as he offered her friend his arm to walk out to dance. Evie calling after them "Oh, don’t mention it Serena…Really, no need to return the favor..," she said, Evie knew she would be in for it at some point but how could she just let him go on looking for his date when she was right in front of him just invisible? Besides, Serena needed to enjoy herself here and be seen.
The fact that Casey’s arm was around her waist didn’t even phase her, as far as she was concerned this was a happy time of year –a hard one but happy none the less- and so far things have been going great, and as long as they stay that way things felt like they were normal again. Evie laid her head down on Casey’s arm for a moment as she just watched the happenings around them, taking her wand and pointing it at one of the many floating mistletoes that hovered in the air, moving their way around the hall to the unsuspecting dancers and couples. The small plant floated its way over to where Serena and Jared were dancing and hovered there, Evie smiled to herself as she put her wand away and let out a sigh, eyes casting upwards when Casey started speaking before her whole head lifted and she looked at him.
"Promise," she answered just as sincere. She didn’t see any reason to argue if things kept on like this and even if they didn’t what was the point anymore? Evie was so tired of all the fighting and shifting the blame to each other, the breaks or cool down, what ever he called it. All she had to say to that was no more! A small smile crept its way to her lips, they could do this.
'Seal it with a kiss?' Casey felt like asking, but he didn't. He simply kept his eyes on her for a few seconds in hesitation before noticing that she had her wand out and following what she was doing with his eyes. The mistletoe to over Serena and Jared. Classic Evie. Had to play matchmaker. Hadn't she done enough? Didn't really matter anyway. He was just glad to see Serena and Jared having a good time, not to mention, seeing them both away from them. He didn't mind having friends around, but when he wanted to try to enjoy spending time with his wife for an evening despite all the arguing, he did mind having them around. They could chit-chat from time to time, but please no sticking around all night.
He let out a quiet chuckle before looking above them, halfway hoping some mistletoe was there and not seeing any, he decided to go ahead and accio some over to them as discreetly. "Look, Eves," he said, giving her a small smile before leaning down to give her a light kiss on the lips. He didn't want to go for longer because for one, they were in a public place, and for another and more importantly, he didn't want to push his luck. After all, they hadn't exactly been all touchy-feely for a while now because of all the arguing and his being on the couch except for the rare ocassion or when Julian asked about it. Kid noticed things. For that, Casey had to give him credit.
When he pulled away, he watched her quietly for a few moments before offering her his hand. He didn't know why he did, really, when he wasn't sure what it was exactly that he wanted to do. He didn't know if he wanted to dance with her and thereby gain an excuse to hold her in his arms or to go on a walk with her. Either way they could talk, just the one would be more private than the other. After a short mini-debate in his head, Casey decided that for now they could dance, that he'd ask her for a walk later, if they were getting along well enough. "Care to dance, beautiful?" he asked.
Her head titled back a little when Casey told her to look, seeing the little green plant floating above them, either it had just hovered over to them or he put it there, didnt matter. Evie brought her head back down and looked up at Casey with a smile, giving him a kiss back, wishing that the hall wasnt full of people -namely their students- Evie placed her hand in Casey's as it was offered to her. "I'd love to," she said with another smile, this one bigger...Yeah, they could do this
Serena laughed slightly and shook her head with a small sigh despite the sense of impending doom in the fact that she would be dancing with a living christmas tree for the evening. She smiled again and nodded moving out to the dance floor. "Alright then. I suppose we're dancing." She had to say that despite the robes she really did want to dance with him, after all, he had gotten a lot better than he wasn since they first danced and he was actually pretty decent. She smiled up at him as they walked out and started dancing. She didn't notice the mistletoe, but she did notice Casey and Evie out of the corner of her eye. She smiled gently, happy to see them at peace for once. The two of them needed to fix this. If they fell apart, love at first site couldn't be real. They were THE couple; the quitacential couple of her life. Well, at least from school. She wanted it to work out so badly. Both of them would be crushed if it didn't. She wouldn't know what to do for them if it didn't.
Hermione turned in her seat and looked at him, she rose a quizzical brow for a moment. He wanted to dance? Biting her lip momentarily she considered how extraordinarily strange it would be but realizing she was being rude she quickly smiled and nodded in an effort to hide her hesitance. She rose and took his hand gently while replying.
"Alright, but I must warn you, I'm not that good...I've been out of practice"
She allowed herself to be led away from the comfort, confidence and boredom of the staff table. Here she was closer to the students and at the mercy of the Headmaster. In the back of her mind a thought emerged but she quickly pushed it aside. They were merely dancing and it was just to change their scene of being wallflowers. Hermione took a deep breath and looked up into Trey's eyes as she spoke.
"Thank you."
Well, at least they were smiling, getting along. Seemed they'd come to a silent agreement not to think about the past few weeks or argue, which was fine by him. The less arguing, the better. Maybe tonight they'd figure out some way to coexist despite their disagreement over her being a Death Eater. After all, if they could get along one night, they could manage it for a few days at a time at least, right? Nothing so difficult about that...just other people wouldn't be around to keep them on their best behaviour. Sounded like they were children, but maybe the way they had been acting the past few weeks had been childish--not that Casey would actually buy that. He felt justified in his being against her decision. After all, when he'd done it he hadn't had a child to worry about leaving fatherless. They had a son now, a son who could very well be left motherless if Voldemort so decided. And then what? He would be too distracted to take adequate care of him, and besides that, he wasn't much of a father. Sure, he knew how to take care of Julian, could do so whenever required, but how was he supposed to do that while working and trying to deal with grief? He felt her decision had been more than a little selfish--especially after he'd told her exactly what to expect, especially after she broke her promise. Lack of trust because of that and fear from the thought of losing her were the main fuels behind this whole domestic dispute on his part, that and anger he felt was justified because of that.
"Good," Casey replied, returning the smile as he began to lead her to the dance floor. He ventured in towards the center, not really wanting to feel like an animal on display at the zoo at the outer edge of the dance floor. Besides, he wanted her close and he didn't feel he had reason to be otherwise considering the past few weeks. When they reached a spot he deemed the spot to stop at, he stopped and took her in his arms as he noted the music's tempo and began to dance with her.
While Casey had his train of thought, Evie had hers. She wondered how long this would last before everything was back to the yelling and arguing. It became a part of life, much to the disdain of the both of them but it was there nevertheless. And it would probably always be there for as long as she was considered a Death Eater.
But Evie didn’t want to think about that now, save those thoughts for when they needed to be dealt with, not tonight. She followed Casey out to the floor and placed her other hand on his shoulder while her right hand was in his, stepping as close as she could and still not be able to step on his feet as they danced.
Oy, stupid dancing pretenses. Let them get close but not as close as he should like--probably why they preferred the students dance like this compared to any other way possible. Less for the parents to complain about, after all. But what was wrong about being a little closer? Nothing, really, except that the kids would try to follow their examples whatever they may be. But then again, they could point out they're married and that if they could provide a certificate of marriage, then perhaps it would be considered.
"Sooo..." Casey said as he looked down at her, trying to think of something they could possibly talk about that wouldn't lead to the subject of that mark she had concealed on her left forearm. Speaking of, he just hoped it wouldn't burn during the middle of the dance or towards the end or at any point over the next several days, really, but that was too much to hope. Nevertheless, he'd bring up something he'd been thinking about. Of course, he'd originally wanted to wait until the end of the ball when he was certain whether or not they were capable of staying on civil terms for a while, but he didn't care at this point. He just hoped it wasn't too forward considering their current circumstances, but he hated second guessing. She was his wife for crying out loud! He had to ask or he'd consider himself a coward.
"What do you say we take off for Christmas? Somewhere nice but quiet and relatively inexpensive.... Just get away, the three of us. Stay til Milli's wedding and then we'll take off after the reception?" He wanted a straight answer even if he knew neither one of them could really give one. After all, 'It depends' would be the natural answer now and to ask what it would depend on would be too obvious to ask. Why did everything always have some sort of potential to turn back to Voldemort, whether in thought or stated?
Trevor rose a brow slightly with an amused sort of expression as she said she was out of practice and not very good. "Well," he began with a slight chuckle, "just be sure not to step on my toes." With that, he began to lead her away towards the dance floor, stopping when they reached it, looking down at her as he felt her look up at him and hearing her thank you. He offered a smile and nodded. "Anytime," he said as he rested a hand near her waist and took her hand in his other. He was already trying to think of something to talk with her about. Dancing quietly didn't seem like something normal...at least not yet. But, he didn't suppose this one would exactly enjoy talking about her classes. On the other hand, she might, but tonight was supposed to signify the beginning of time away from all that.
"So..any plans for the holiday?" he asked, deciding that was the safest topic he could think of. As far as he knew she hadn't lost parents or any family recently that could make the winter holiday any different than it had been the past few years for her. If he struck a nerve, then he would apologize. It wasn't like he was meaning to do so. Even Trevor could be considerate without much effort of acting on his part.
I’d like that, but…. Evie started to say, that all sounded really nice and all but it really all depended on the man that controlled the little mark on her left forearm. She hated how everything they did now had to revolve around him, it was like before when Casey was undercover, but at least then they could still go places and disappear Yeah, I’d like that, sounds nice she finished with a nod, changing her mind about the ‘but’ there couldn’t be any ‘buts’ when it came to her family, they were her priority and she had to keep them that. Time alone with you and Julian, couldn’t ask for a better way to spend the holiday
Casey's eyes began to furrow as the word 'but' escaped her face, and he began to contemplate leaving before she could manage to upset him and this turn into an argument, but when she corrected herself, he decided he'd stay...at least for a little while. That 'but' would eat away at him until he spoke to her about it. He knew it was because of Voldemort--he hoped. But that was ridiculous that it could be something else. That Trey guy was just a friend--nothing more, nothing less. Did it bother him that she talked to him about their problems? Yeah. Would he rather she talk to someone else about them? Yeah. Ginny, Serena, Hermione, John...even Jared, if she wanted! He didn't care. She could take her pick, but he didn't know this man, didn't know how he viewed Evie, and that bugged him to no end. Not to mention that the man knew nothing of their history, so how could he truly help? He was jealous (even if he wouldn't admit it to himself) of this man because he got to spend so much time with Evie now.
"Neither can I...no one else I'd rather spend it with. You guys are my world. You know that, right?" he replied with a wistful smile of sorts as he looked down at her. He wanted things how they were before. He wanted things to remain civil like this longer than just tonight, but he knew a lot of that depended on whether or not he was willing to just give up on getting her to get out from Voldemort's ranks. He knew he wouldn't be. Or on whether or not she would finally succumb to his wishes, which he highly doubted she would. But couldn't she see how much stress it was placing on their marriage? Couldn't she see it was doing more harm than good? Their marriage would soon be over, if it kept on like this, and he knew neither one of them wanted it to end--not now, not ever.
"No not really, if anything I might head to my parent's house for the holidays. I spent one or two with the Weasleys every so often but, home seems like a decent place this year. What about you? You're not going to stay locked in that office are you?"
Hermione replied taking his hand and making a note to not stare at her feet. She wouldn't step on his toes she was certain of that however it really depended on how while she could multitask in such a situation. She could sense the tension coming from both of them. It was something that happened to her normally when placed into a new situation or one that she hadn't been acclimated too...like first dates, or what to say when some one dies. Although this wasn't as drastic it fell under the same category.
She was following his lead well enough that she felt confident she would make it through it in one piece, if not wholly embarrassed
Evie nodded her head somewhat slowly when Casey replied back, trying not to let the slight confusion show on her face which she was sure it didn’t. He seemed sort of unsure sounding or like he was trying to assure her of something she already knew. A little odd. Yeah, I know she said finally with a smile, figuring she would just ignore it and carry on with the rest of the night. have anywhere in mind to go? Or is this one of those spur of the moment trips?
Casey chose to ignore the look of confusion on her face. After all, he figured eventually she would realize why he'd said it. He hadn't told her that in quite a while now...hadn't really had a reason to with all the arguing that had been going on lately. Couldn't just up and say in the middle of an argument, 'I love you, Evie,' or, 'You're my world.' Would be kind of strange--far more strange than his saying it right now. But now was peace time, and he felt like he had better say it now while they were getting along instead of waiting til later when they were alone and things were possibly less than civil; admittedly, he hoped for more than civil.
"Mostly spur-of-the-moment, though someplace warm would be nice," Casey replied with a smile and a quiet chuckle. "Figured we haven't done one of those in a long time, so why not now? Maybe getting away from London, this school...maybe it'll help some." Yeah, he'd pretty much brought it full circle to what they probably wanted to avoid talking about, but maybe just barely touching on it in that way would be fine. After all, she could easily just say, 'Yeah...' and go on and suggest someplace, which he really hoped she would. He didn't want to stay on this topic longer than necessary, and he was certain Evie didn't either. All he knew was that he wanted things to get better, and he was willing to do just about anything to make it better.
Yeah Evie agreed, and there it was again. Everything came back to their problems no matter what direction or way they tried to take it. maybe we could try somewhere in the states, someplace warm. Havent been there yet Evie suggested, wanting to get conversation away from the negative and more towards the possible postive.
"Reckon we are," Jared replied, not noticing the mistletoe above him and Serena either. Why would he? He was oblivious to most everything to begin with. Obviously he knew Serena was there, that they were in the Great Hall, and that they were attending the Yule Ball and therefore dancing together. She was his fiancée, and well, that was how it should be. So, he didn't really see the point in paying attention to their surroundings. That premonition from only weeks before seemed pointless to give creedence to. After all, he hadn't had another, and so...well, he just didn't see the point to be worried because of it. Besides that, Serena had the tendency to make him forget his worries.