The "Oldies"

Dom did not own any fancy dresses, especially ones that distinguished her from the students. One of the matrons had informed her of a more or less unofficial rule that staff needed to wear longer gowns, more adult dress robes. She needed to look more mature than the students that she was supposed to be of higher rank than. Unfortunately, she was only a few years their senior, and was still continually mistaken for an elder looking seventh year. Even those who knew her, mostly because of her family, they assumed she had just been taking a few years to graduate.

She couldn't blame them for the assumption.

Nevertheless, she had done her best to dress well. Her friend Adele LaReaux fortunately had a whole closet of dresses given to her by diplomats and dignitaries trying to woo her. The green dress had definitely been the perfect one for the job, and Adele even adorned her blonde pixie of a friend with jewelry that Dom was absolutely terrified of breaking or losing, despite Adele's assurance that she had replacements for her replacements.

So Dom walked into the Yule Ball, light silver dress robes draped over her shoulders. She slipped them off within moments of entering the ball, glancing about before draping them over an ice sculpture of a reindeer. She turned about, taking in a big breath before exhaling it. She had always loved Yule Balls, as she had always managed to be in the limelight. But now, she was irrelevant and she was not going to be looked upon with any regard.

Ah well.

She snagged a cup of punch, already spiked of course, and downed it quickly before picking up a new one. She turned and looked out on the dance floor. The students were all having a blast - what fun was to be had for the staff then?

Declan had been absurdly surprised to find that he was meant to chaperone the Yule Ball. After all, during his years at Hogwarts, he had been the one more likely to sneak alcohol in than to take the nice Hufflepuff to the ball and dance with the proper distance and all the rest. Especially after he had met Henry Tross, and the pair had become the troublemakers that they had ended up as. So coming back as someone meant to have all sorts of authority and supposed to act rational, Declan was highly unamused.

As he walked into the Great Hall, he decided that - already - he couldn't put up with his suit jacket being buttoned, so he reached a hand across his torso and flicked the button open. His hands pushed the sides of the jacket back so he could stuff his hands into his trouser pockets, the dark red tie setting off his pristinely white shirt.

Declan made his way across the hall, aiming for the drink table he had helped to organize - but probably failed to keep from being spiked. His gaze fell, though, to a blonde who was clearly not a student. In fact, over the past few months he had gotten to know the woman in question through his intermittent visits to Hogwarts. A slow smirk pulled at his lips when he approached, greeting her with a nod and letting his hand pull from his pocket so it could rest at the small of Dom's back.

"Don't look too excited to be here," he teased, inclining his head towards her as he spoke. "I, for one, am incredibly thrilled. I mean, look at all of these weird kids trying to dance!" he added, gesturing to a pair of students who were avoiding eye contact as they swayed side to side regardless of the fact that the song playing was actually a waltz.

"You dance much during school years, Dom? Also," he put in as an afterthought, "a green dress? How very Gryffindor of you, bob. Although, I guess, with my tie we sort of match. Fancy that."

She had resigned herself to the idea that she would have to find her enjoyment with less traditional means - she figured after pranking a few of the students, she could slip out, hurry down to Hogsmeade, get roaring drunk, and come back for the closing ceremonies. She was just beginning to reconcile the idea that she would have to maneuver this death-trap of a fashion's dream of a dress to actually secure the liquor she so required, when another option presented itself in the form of Declan Arryn.

Declan had been one of her saving graces as a substitute at Hogwarts. There were several days where she was called in with the possibility that a substitute may be needed, and then those long days had passed with an unsettling boredom - and boredom was the bane of Dom's existence. The few times that Declan had found her in the staff room, usually hanging upside down and singing to herself, sipping something sugary that definitely was not good for her. She could not call him a good friend, sure, but he was definitely the person she knew best from work - besides those who had once been her professors, of course.

She grinned as she turned, holding the punch cup aloft. "Was I? Whoops - I'll keep my joy hidden." She smirked and looked out across the dance floor. "Oh, I dunno, he would have won me over for sure." She indicated a lanky Ravenclaw who was jutting his head back and forth madly, the rest of his body remaining riding until the fourth beat, when every limb flung out and snapped back in. If he was trying to dance, no one had told his body.

She sneered at him. "Not everyone had ball-ready clothes filling their closet. I had to borrow, and this is what didn't make me look like I was born in the 1600s, so-" she stuck her tongue out. The pouty face broke back into a relaxed smile, though, as she looked about the dance floor again. "Did I dance? Better question is if I ever stopped. I love dancing - not to the slow stuff, that's boring. But give me a beat and a bunch of strangers and I'm in my element." She turned and regarded him, stepping back and tilting her head. "I bet you're the opposite. You like the prancing and the twirling, don't you?" She sipped from the cup of punch.

A low chuckle rose from his throat at her sarcasm, nodding along as though he agreed. "Well, I'll be sure to remember that when someone asks how to get your attention. I think that Slytherin over there thought you were a student. You know, until I spoiled it for him. Poor thing," Declan sighed dramatically, covering his amusement by picking up a cup of punch and taking a drink. He drew back in surprise, staring at the cup when he caught the hint of alcohol hiding behind the fruity flavor of the intended drink.

His smirk appeared again before he lifted it back to his lips, glad to have troublemaking students. It made him want to get in touch with Henry, to see if he wanted to go to a match. After all, Henry was one of the highest ranking officials in the Ministry's International Sports Regulation department, so he could get fantastic seats. The men, of course, would just end up drunk. But it hardly mattered, given that most others at the matches would do the same.

"Yes, because I keep these damn suits around specifically for Yule Balls and galas.." he rolled his eyes, shaking his head as she answered his question with snark.

"I'm not even slightly surprised by the fact that you're the club type. Not that I'm trying to insult you, mind. You're simply far more outgoing than I am," he assured her gently, pushing his hand back into his pocket so it no longer pressed into her back. "I actually don't dance. At all, really. It just strikes me as awkward - about as awkward as that Ravenclaw you pointed out before. Perhaps more so, given that you either have two people who can't dance at all, or one who can but another who can't and everything just goes downhill quite rapidly." Declan sighed, shaking his head. "It's nonsense, really."

Of course, the man wasn't about to point out the fact that, despite his years of Quidditch, he did not actually have a clue what he was doing when it came to dancing. He didn't enjoy it, didn't want to try, and most certainly did not want to explain all of that to Dom.

Dom looked back at him, aghast. "You spoiled it? Oh, shoot, now he'll tell all of his friends. My hope was to have a student fall in love with me by the end of the night. Damn, now that that's out of the picture, I'll have to find different fun." And she started by swallowing the last of her second cup of punch, before picking up a third. "You know what, keep it coming," she said to the cup, swirling her wand. That would make the cup continue to refill over and over. Sure, the drink had been spiked, but it wasn't nearly as strong as she was used to. It would take her another few pitchers to get to where she needed to be to enjoy the ball. She paused and flicked her wand once more at the cup. That ought to reverse the ratio of alcohol to punch, in favor of alcohol.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, but it's easier for men. You're allowed to wear the same suit twice in the same season, because it all looks the same. We have fashion police, us women." She lifted her eyebrow tantalizing, as though letting him in on one of the cherished secrets of her sex. She lifted her cup to her lips and her eyes darted left then right. "They're everywhere," she whispered scandalously, before taking another long sip of the laced punch.

He began to explain that he did not, in fact, dance, and her jaw dropped a little. "But, Declan... You're at a ball!" She raised an arm to gesture around and the atmosphere which all very obviously spelled out ball - as if he did not know already. She shook her head, her eyes closing slowly. "This night could have been a disaster. It's so good that I was here." Her eyes flicked up, he lips upturning mischievously, as she finished off her cup once more, and it refilled for her. She took a step closer to Declan and leaned in, gesturing for him to lean in as well to hear her better. Once he was close enough, she let him in on the secret she was withholding. "I'm going to get you to dance tonight."

She took another drink, serious about wanting to get tipsy ASAP, and leaned back, looking out at the field of students. "First, I'll break the ice, while also showing you how it's done." She spotted the Slytherin Declan had previously pointed out and smirked. She held out her cup to Declan for him to hold and glided off towards the boy, looking graceful in her stance and movement.

As the boy and his friends realized they were being approached, they all turned to gape at her, but she did not move her eyes from him. The band had struck up a faster paced song, but it was still something she would need to waltz too. She held out a hand and coyly smiled. "A dance?"

He nodded, open-mouthed, and took her hand. Realizing suddenly that he was being asked to dance by an older, attractive woman, he stood taller, smirked impressively, and moved as though he had been trained to do this - and judging by what looked like pure gold clasps on his dress robes, he probably had been trained. They reached the middle of the dance floor and turned to look at each other, taking their stance. She looked out across the floor and smiled widely at Declan, winking.

The next beat, she was dancing and her partner was humiliated.

Declan rolled his eyes at her comments, tempted to point out that he did, in fact, have more than one nice outfit. But that would not have gained him much ground, given that Dom was quite right. Girls certainly had more to worry about when it came to how they were meant to dress. Declan had always been the sort to at least try to look halfway decent, whether or not he achieved it. But, even so, Dom had clearly tried harder than he had, if not that night then undoubtedly throughout her life.

When she threatened to make him dance with her, Declan frowned, suddenly feeling his age. Frankly, he shouldn't have cared given that he was only twenty-nine. But compared to all of the others in the Great Hall - aside from perhaps a few of the staff - he certainly seemed older. Even if just his stance, as he lifted the cup to his lips again and watched as she bounded off to speak with the Slytherin he had pointed out. The kid hadn't been very subtle, so a part of Declan wasn't that surprised.

But then he found himself watching her cross the floor, not having registered fully hat she intended to dance with the kid. His eyebrows lifted in surprise, and then she started dancing and Declan practically inhaled his drink. Coughing, Declan tried to hide his laugh, but couldn't quite manage it.

That, of course, was of the things that Declan found himself appreciating about Dom more and more. He was cynical and exceptionally unable to trust people. He just considered himself lucky that Dom didn't look anything like the woman who had so coldly led him on. Somehow, girls who reminded him of Danica made him cringe just as the idea of visiting Dublin made him want to hurt the person who suggested it.

Watching Dom, though, he merely felt good, and it was almost shocking that he allowed himself to fully register it. The poor Slytherin looked a bit traumatized, as though he wished he had never looked in the blonde's direction. A smirk found its way onto Declan's face, rather pleased that the boy would regret his decision, although that likely came from the inevitable house rivalries. Still, Declan put his cup down without thinking and crossed the floor as the song started coming to its close.

It wasn't until he actually came up behind the student that Declan realized what he was doing. Still, it was too late to change tack now that he was out there. So Declan tapped on the Slytherin's shoulder, smirking down at the boy since he stood a good deal taller. "Next time, mate, don't be so obvious."

The kid scowled at the pair of them before trudging off, and Declan offered a hand to Dom. "If you're quite finished, I think you have frightened the dance floor enough," he teased lightly, inclining his head towards her and lifting one side of his mouth in a half-smile.

The ballroom was a blur at first, as she pulled off a move that she liked to refer to as a 'full-body shrug.' Her shoulders raised and dropped alternatively, her knees poking out, her hips shaking wildly. She slowed her movement down for long enough to look in the face of her dance partner, who had stopped all movement and was staring at her in horror. She nearly laughed, but she managed to keep a serious expression, looking at him with mock seduction, before spinning around.

Declan was actually laughing! Dom now could not hold in the snorting laugh that escaped her, as she could not recall a time at actually having succeeded to make Declan fully drop his grump mask. She had really only gotten to know him, and he seemed so resistant to just having a laugh - the very thing Dom lived for. She had been trying to crack the code since she had met him, and it was finally done.  It seemed the pain of his students was enough to tempt a smile onto his face, and she stored that information for later.

She turned back around to face her partner, who was now redder than a crowd of angry Gryffindors. He was clutching his face with his hand and shaking his head - whoops. It seemed Dom had ruined his life. She could not take his misery too seriously, having been quite an embarrassment to herself and others for the majority of her life - she knew from experience that people got over it. So would Mr Slytherin hotshot.

And suddenly, Declan was there. Dom would have fallen over if her awesome dance moves weren't keeping her in motion, so she somehow managed to stay upright, despite the surprise. Her body had slowed to match the beat of the sending song, and her mind now had the freedom to think more freely - dancing and thinking at the same time wasn't a thing she did. Had she really tempted Declan Arryn, Master Wallflower, off of the sidelines and into the thick of the dance floor? With her own dance moves, no less?

She was a master dancer.

The poor humiliated Slytherin stalked off just as the song came to a close. Dom performed a flourishing bow to the few people who had witnessed her little stunt, which happened to be just about everyone within a fifteen foot radius. She turned back to Declan who had offered her a hand. With a smile, she took it, smirking widely as she proudly announced, "That's how it's done. Never had one lesson!"

A slower song struck up and Dom perked up. "Hey! I know this song. It's great." She grinned at Declan, like a spider might grin at a trapped fly. "You'll like it too." She placed a hand on his shoulder and smirked. "Just step anywhere that isn't already occupied by a foot and you'll be fine."

((Fun fact - I invented the full body shrug. XD. Also, Dom's theme song might be Don't Drop That Thun Thun Thun. Whoops ))

(XD Brilliant. That makes perfect sense lol. I'm also vaguely worried for Dec, because it's possible that he might end up fancying Dom. I can feel the "omigod" in his head.)

Dom looked completely thrilled with herself, and Declan found himself rolling his eyes and cracking another smile despite himself. At the same time, she was practically staring at him and he remembered where he was. It probably wasn't the best decision he had ever made, given the person every knew he was. Stoic and angry as he often was, any amusement he showed was usually in the form of a smirk. Equally, it was almost always ironic in a sense, because he tended to see everything in a certain light - one that ensured that most, if not all, jokes seemed sarcastic to his ears.

When they came from Dom, though, they seemed genuine and good-natured. She dropped her hand into his and he made to lead her off of the dance floor - and preferably back to the drinks, where he could pretend that he had not given people a chance to ask him questions later. Surely they would, of course, now that they had seen him standing in and among the students with Dom. They would wonder how she had worked him up into dancing, even though she had not managed it, and he could just feel the Hayes' confusion from across the Great Hall the next morning even though it had yet to arrive. They weren't at the ball, but they would certainly hear about it if he let things go too far.

But then she had stepped closer, clearly intending to make him go through with it now that he had ventured out and been caught. Declan's shoulders stiffened as he looked down at her, his eyes widening almost imperceptibly.

"Dom," he warned, his voice almost inaudible beneath the music floating through the hall. "I don't dance. I just don't. It's-" he faltered, wanting to drop Danica's name and blame it on her. It was her fault, after all, that he didn't like it anymore. He once had, in truth. Or, even if he didn't like it, he had gone along with it for her. But he could not bring himself to do so anymore. There were too many painful memories in one round of steps across the floor. Declan didn't know how to explain himself so he let his gaze flick about the room, trying to find an escape or excuse.

The song picked up and people about them were moving while he stood there, and he couldn't quite find a way out of it, so he held onto the stiff demeanor, his jaw clenched as he stared at a spot just above the top of her head, doing what he could not to step on her feet without looking to check where they were.

((I feel worse for Declan. She's going to be all "what... no. No serious. GOD NO THIS IS TOO GROWN UP!" It'll be entertaining to see her flail.

Oh, btw, I'm thinking the feel of this song is like Trumpets by Jason Derulo. Slow but still fun. Cause a real slow dance would be too serious for Dom's taste.))

He tried to escape, but Dom was from a Quidditch-playing family, and managed to keep him rooted to the spot. Sure, she hated manual labor, but she had spent most of her childhood wrestling with her cousins, so there was some strength in her slender little body. And if she was going to bring it out for any occasion, it was certainly going to be when she would get the profit of seeing Declan Arryn dance. Something told her that if he just tried, he would be fine. She had never seen a handsome man just look horrible dancing. All they had to do was step back and forth and they looked good doing it. It was stupid unfair.

There was a look of almost panic on his face and she sighed, smiling widely. "You'll be fine - I promise. Who's going to look stupid after what I just did?" She gave him a look of exasperation, for it was true. Who was going to look the more stupid between the pair of them? She had done everyone at the Yule Ball a favor, as no one was going to look more ridiculous than she had with her poor Slytherin counterpart, unless they tried. Though she was certain she could probably come up with something worse to do by the end of the night.

The music was in full swing now, and Declan was refusing to ease up. Dom rolled her eyes, still smiling, and dropped her hand. She grabbed Declan's free hand and placed it on her back, taking a step closer. "Oi - professor," she said, sneering playfully. "Look at me. Have a conversation. It makes you look like a pro. Don't even think about the dancing part, it'll just happen." That and she was now firmly leading them in a small, loose pattern. "Just unhinge your hips a little - let them move."

(Totally works, the song. Even more uncomfortable for him xD)

She didn't understand, as Declan had expected. But he didn't want to ruin her evening with it if he could help it. After all, she had helped him to unwind a bit, and he wasn't sure he minded. It actually felt rather good, though he wouldn't be admitting that aloud. It would likely just give Dom more drive to get Declan to do other things he wasn't comfortable with.

"That isn't the problem," he muttered testily, trying not to sound too frustrated. She was just trying to help, right? Then again, it wasn't as though they had known each other as long as it might take for her to understand him. So he sighed and let his gaze meet hers for a second, flashing an apologetic frown before looking around the room again.

He nearly jumped when she reached for his hand, and Declan's eyes jumped to hers again in surprise. His lips thinned into a line when she teased about his part-time teaching position, but it was to cover the smirk that was tugging at his mouth. His role at Hogwarts was minimal, but there was something almost interesting about having a title, wasn't there? Depending on who used it.

Declan's fingers curled slightly against her back, and he started wondering if it was strange that she was technically leading the pair of them. He had not exactly had any practice with dancing in the past year. His desire to alleviate the awkwardness nearly brought him to make a comment about her dancing from earlier, especially after she told him he needed to move his hips more. Instead, he muttered a comment about how his hips worked perfectly well in less awkward situations, hoping she didn't catch it. Though, if he said it to anyone, he supposed Dom might not take it too badly. She had a much better sense of humor than he did, most days.

"A conversation?" he added belatedly, tilting his head to the side. "You should have got more liquor into me first."

in truth, he knew that he was being an ass about it. But when he considered explaining his reasoning, it just made him want to get utterly trashed and convince himself that he had never wanted to do so. No one needed to know that he was just as naive as the ridiculous women he was so harsh to when he ran into them in the pub.

In between his musings, Declan wasn't paying enough attention to the people around him, practically ensuring that he would get bumped into. Which, of course, happened thanks to an equally oblivious Hufflepuff student, who stepped too close and caused the graduate to wrap his arm more firmly around Dom in an attempt to stay upright.

"Bloody ridiculous," he growled under his breath, shaking his head. "You're not going to make me stay out here, are you? These kids are going to keep shoving into us." Declan frowned, turning his head back around to look for where the student in question had gone, keen to avoid another unwanted encounter. When he was assured that there was a good bit of distance between them, he looked back to Dom, finally realizing that they were closer than they should have been. "Sorry," he offered, his tone more gentle this time, and took a step back to allow for the space that had been eaten up by the stupid Huff-n-puff.

As much as he said he could use more liquor, Declan was starting to get the feeling that it would actually be a terrible idea. Especially once he decided that perhaps he could have gotten away with holding her as he had been. But that was just a mad thought on its own, so he tried to force his shoulders to relax. Still, he was having trouble looking at her, again.

"I'd really rather not keep on with this after the song ends, if you don't mind," he added, the words flowing as though some part of him wanted her not to know but the more influential part felt that perhaps she should. "Last time I danced with someone, I proposed. ...Turns out women don't like it much if you propose after they're already married."