Masquerade Ball (OPEN to everyone)

Neve chuckled nervously, cursing herself for her stupidity. How could I have been so careless? She asked herself. Usually blocking out her seer abilities was easy but now she had slipped. Maybe she was getting weaker. This thought made Neve panic. She couldn't be getting weaker! If she was getting weaker she would stop being able to block out her visions! Suddenly, Neve felt like crying. Swallowing the lump in her throat and blinking away her tears, she put on an awkward smile and replied to the girl's question. 'I.... umm.... I'm a very accomplished guesser.'

Without giving the girl a chance to answer, or question her explanation, Neve discreetly dropped her napkin and with an 'Excuse me for a second,' bent down to pick it up. As soon as her face was out of eyesight, Neve wiped her eyes under her mask, making sure there was no hint of the tears left, and picked up the napkin. She put it back on the table and faced the girl again, looking perfectly normal and cheerful, like before.

'So, what house are you in again?'

The nervous chuckle the girl originally responded with had raised every conceivable red flag in Amelia's mind. Death eater, spy, overly curious student; they were all the same to Amelia. Anyone who knew more about her than she wanted him or her to know was a threat. But just as Amelia was about to reach for her wand (tucked discreetly into the strap of her heeled sandal) the girl's next reaction halted Amelia's plan of attack.

Panic, Amelia knew from experience, was a very easy emotion to read. There were so many outward signs, and most of them were difficult to disguise. The sympathetic nervous system sends the body into hyper drive, excess perspiration, dilated pupils, and a flood of an unexpected emotion, in this girl's case, tears. The awkward smile could not hide the emotion that flitted across her face as clearly as if there had been no mask, and Amelia's guards dropped. Clearly an individual who responded to a direct accusation with such a visible look of panic could be no threat to her safety.

The girl's flaky explanation and dropped napkin were clearly a facade, but Amelia had offered so many lies and distractions over the years to avoid touchy subjects that she let it slide. Having secrets was not a crime, for which Amelia was extremely grateful for if it was she would surely end up in Azkaban.

When the girl returned from "picking up her napkin", Amelia could see that she had composed herself. No longer did water well up behind her eyes, and her cheeks were no longer crimson in color. Amelia pretended to have been watching the dancers, effectively making it seem as though the whole escapade had escaped her attention. It was an act of camaraderie unexpected of Amelia, for she felt companionship with next to no one.

Perhaps it is because so few extend this nicety to me... Amelia thought briefly, before the girl asked her another question, no doubt to draw the conversation away from what had just occurred.

"I'm in Ravenclaw," Amelia said, offering her answer more easily this time. For some reason, the fact that the girl had secrets and a similar defense mechanism about them as Amelia did made her more willing to converse with her peer. It seemed almost natural when Amelia asked a question to keep the conversation afloat.

"And to which house do you belong?"

Neve gave a relieved smile when she realised the girl had dropped the subject. She was still worried, obviously, but was now hiding it better after the initial shock. There would be plenty of time for fretting afterwards. For now she should just try and enjoy the evening. Which wouldn't be as fun without putting her amazing plan for making it interesting into action but oh well.
'I'm in Gryffindor.' Neve smiled proudly then added 'Only since this year though. I went to another school for my first five years.'
She was quiet for a moment, just resting her chin on her hand and looking around, completely lost in thought. It was rare for her to be thinking and doing nothing else and anyone close enough to her would find her sudden silence slightly unnerving.

Aden had been slowly strolling around the Dance like usual this was not something that floated his boat. Seeing that this was not a dance he was supposed to go to my parental decree it was already a step above... As Aden looked around he saw that no one was really treating the night as it should be treated with secrecy and mistuqe.

Aden needed to make a move, yet the move needed to be one in accordance with history and this type of event, at least in Aden's opinion. So when he spotted a group of girls which he did not know he figured it would be the perfect time to spring his plan into action. Aden checked his mask to make sure it covered his identity. Before Aden made his approach he pulled out his wand and tapped it to his Adam's apple in charm to change his voice.

Aden on purpose began walking into the girl with the pale cheeky completion and blond hair. Once Aden checked his trajectory again he began to stare up at the false sky with in the ballroom. Keeping on his course Aden walked right into the girl, but nothing to hard it would not knock her down.

Amelia watched the relieved smile spread across the girl's face below her mask and knew she had done the right thing. She let the tension relax out of her body and returned her hand back to her lap, knowing now there was no reason to be reaching for her wand unless it was to call some food over from the table as her companion had done earlier.

The girl's response did not shock Amelia, as she was usually pretty adept at guessing the houses people belonged to simply by observing their mannerisms, personality traits, and the way they treated others. This girl, with her social ability and no-fear attitude toward Anton (who usually was enough to keep most people at bay), had marked her as a Gryffindor. She would not have been able to predict that she was a transfer student, however, without an accent or other information to tip her off. Amelia responded merely by nodding, returning the girl's smile with a closed-lipped one of her own.

Having reached a natural breaking point in the conversation, Amelia was glad when her companion chose to sit quietly and watch what was going on in the great hall. Amelia did not find silence stifling at all; most of the time she relished in it. She took the opportunity to gather her thoughts and observe that Anton was indeed still watching her patiently, managing to look both fearsome and bored at the same time.

Just as she was turning away from Anton, the chair Amelia was sitting in gave an abrupt jolt, pulling her out of her reverie of silence. She grabbed for anything that might keep her upright, her fingers closing around the edge of the table and also something that felt distinctly like an arm.

Amelia's eyes followed the arm up to the face of another student who, from what Amelia could gather, had just run into her. His mask obscured most of his face, so Amelia could not determine whether or not she had ever seen the boy before. Trying not to seem too flustered, Amelia released her grip on the boy's wrist and discreetly checked to see if she had left red marks. She had.

"I'm really very sorry," Amelia said, looking up to meet the boy's eyes, which were shadowed by his mask to hide their colour or any anger that might be present in them, "You startled me and..." her words trailed off as Amelia ran out of excuses and ideas of what to say in such a situation.

Aden's plan had worked accordingly as he saw the girl began to lose her balance he really hoped she didn't fall to the ground that would be a very unforeseen consequence. When she grabbed his wrist he was not surprised, after all this was meant to be a more subtle ice breaker then say a cheesy pick up line like Aden used to use. Maybe this whole event was a show of maturity on the part of Aden.

The excuses were cute seeing how this accident was not her fault at all in fact it wasn't even accident it was all part of his calculated plan to see if he could woo some one in the secrecy of this ball. Without his title, or money a test of well himself. Just like her excuses though was her face cute and well innocent.

"Please Don't flatter me you have nothing to me sorry for. I mean it was me who ran into you. The sky is just so pretty that small whole of stars within the murky gray clouds. I found it so captivating i could not take my eyes off of it. Although now I am finding my eyes captivate by something else." Aden exclaimed with a small smile as he stared at her.

It was not long before Aden realized she must be shy to some extent as she seemed to be away from the party and well she just seemed to have that deminor. Aden felt bad because his small hit on her would more then likely make her uncomfortable. No now Aden had to stay the course unless she completely blew him off which would be misfortune, but a possible outcome of this interaction.

Amelia's cheeks were painted crimson with blush as the boy filled the silence left by her lack of words. His voice was soothing and deep, not a voice she had heard before. Amelia spent a fair amount of her time listening to the conversational buzz that filled the hallways and dormitories, so she was certain this time that the voice was not one she recognized.

His description of the night sky brought Amelia's eyes up, tilting her head to take in the view that had captivated him so much as to lose sight of what was in front of him. The blanket of darkness above the hall was interrupted by pinpricks of light, far too numerous to count, and Amelia began to understand how the gentleman may have lost his concentration. Although Amelia could have filled a great many minutes observing the beauty above her, the boy pressed on with his words, whose ending brought Amelia's eyes back to him.

When Amelia's eyes met his penetrating stare she could not help but feel as though his gaze were pinning her to the chair. Usually a wallflower, Amelia had somehow managed to draw the attention of another guest completely by accident. Although his feet had led him to stumble into her, his words were graceful as he complimented her. If Amelia's cheeks had been warm before, they now burned under his compliment.

Amelia averted her eyes, trying to keep her mind from racing. This was not a situation she had ever encountered before and she was not sure how to proceed. Surely there was a protocol for this situation, but her mother had never thought to teach her of it because Amelia had never drawn the attention of the male sector.

Silently cursing the one piece of etiquette her mother had passed over, Amelia took a moment to breathe and found Anton's eyes watching her. He waved his hand discreetly toward the boy who still stood over her, raising his eyebrows in a suggesting manner with what almost looked like a smirk on his face.

Amelia nearly laughed at the sight of the gorilla of a man giving her such a suggestive gesture, but she kept her laughter behind her lips and merely smiled instead as she turned back to the boy who had accidentally stumbled onto the scene. Feeling uncharacteristically daring for one still blushing so furiously, Amelia raised her eyes to meet his, speaking with a voice that was certainly more steady than the one that typically emerged from her.

"Perhaps if you keep you eyes on that new captivation you won't trip as easily over her," Amelia retorted, surprising even herself with the flirtatious tone she had adapted.

Who is this? Amelia asked herself mentally, trying not to let her shock show on her features What happened to the anti-social girl who didn't even want to be here?

Aden was not surprised given is early assumption that her reds were now a ruby red, but like everythink else about her so far it seemed to draw him in more. The new tint led to him noticing the grayish- hue her blue eyes had. it reminded him of a trip to the beach on a stormy day with the white wall cliffs in their glory much like her face.

When she turned from him Aden could not help but to follow her eyes to a man sitting down not to far from the duo. He looked quite big and Aden's mind went to what if she had a date to this fair dance, yet why would he sit over there and her here. With logic like that the thought were quickly dismissed as inconsequential. when Aden saw the eyebrows raise Aden knew that his thoughts were way out of line, and she was open for what he was thinking of it as Wooing.

Aden tilted his head in surprise to her remark, as it was not something he had expected her to say and perhaps he had read her wrong. This too recalibration, because she was not the shy girl looking for the knight. Instead she was the closet feisty girl just waiting to be unleashed. Aden had just the plan in mind to set her off, and it was a nice dose of flirting. Perhaps with this not so open and shut case it would be hard for Aden to accomplish his plan of Wooing.

"Well That certainly is true, but you see i only just met my new "captivation." I do not even know her name, yet maybe that is better. She can remain my Athena in a blue dress." Aden said with a small grin as he softened his gaze on her. For the first time since their encounter began he broke his gaze to glance out at the dance floor to see when this slow song started the crowd out there had shrunk.

"Maybe then the "captivation" would like to join me for a dance, and make it even more impossible for me to remove my eyes from her for more then a few moments?" Aden did not wait for an answer in afraid that the closet door might shut again. Gracefully he grabbed her right hand with his left, and glided out to the side of the floor. Before he turned to face her again he gave a little glace to the couples next to them to warn of the intensity in which he danced.

Amelia noticed by the boy's body language that her retort had caught him off guard as well. She knew the look, for she had given it to plenty of people. It was a look that showed that preconceived notions had been shattered and a new imagine was emerging. It wasn't a look she received very often, and she found herself rather enjoying the fact that even for all her predictability, she still had the ability to surprise people.

Amelia blushed again when he called her Athena, though the blush did not inflame her cheeks as brightly this time as before. The boy was surely a charmer, or perhaps he had just adapted that persona in light of the evening's events. In either event, he was showing Amelia more attention in a few minutes than she had received since the school year began. Although she was unaccustomed to the attention, she found herself adapting to it well.

Maybe it is the mask... Amelia thought, not recognizing the girl who didn't mind be looked at or flattered, the girl who had witty and flirtatious comebacks when a boy spoke to her.

When the young gentleman requested her presence on the dance floor, Amelia faltered from her new found confidence for a moment. Stepping onto the dance floor with him would require her to hold a stable, socially conscious conversation with him for at least the duration of the song, if not longer. Amelia hoped the Gryffindor girl would intervene on her behalf and spare her the opportunity to embarrass herself to thoroughly, but the girl did not speak up. Not that it would have mattered, because the boy in the smart tuxedo did not wait for her response, but rather took her hand in his and pulled her gently from the chair.

As they walked to the dance floor Amelia noticed that it had cleared considerably since she observed it earlier. Amelia worried that with so few people she might become an object of attention for other ball-goers, but she had little choice in the matter now.

Left with so few choices, Amelia made a decision. If she had to be at this dance, and she had to be on the dance floor, she was going to make the most of the evening. Wearing a mask and a floor length gown, she hardly looked herself. No one would ever know her beyond tonight, so she could be anyone. She decided that she would be a girl of confidence and mystery tonight, instead of the girl of silence and solitude that she normally portrayed.

Aligning herself with the boy as the music began, Amelia put herself into the frame his arms created. The music began into a sweeping Viennese waltz, a dance Amelia had learned in her pre-teen years so as to be an acceptable addition to her parent's social gatherings.

"So if you intend to call me Athena, what shall I call you?" Amelia asked coyly while waiting for Aden to take the first steps of the dance.

When the dance began he was surprised that she knew the Viennese Waltz, and was some what proficient with it. This knowledge made leading somewhat easier, and it allowed for them both to be more eloquent and flamboyant in their moves. Aden began to twirl around with here when she began to move with even more confidence. It made the Dance stronger, and people began to stop and stare.

Aden felt a little remorse towards who he was now referring to as Athena, because the wall flower she usually was probably screaming inside. The masked persona inside was taking control, but Aden wanted to know if it was him or the night that brought her to the surface. the likelihood of the situation was the combination two had sprung her to life.

When she asked him about what she should call him, and two charming ideas came to mind that matched his golden attire. One was Mitosis the man you turned anything to gold, just like his touch had sparked her into something even more beautiful then gold, but of course she had this light inside so the name did not work. "You can call me Apollo, the Greek god who brought the Greeks the light of the sun every day. I only offer this name because I am bringing the light of something to the students of Hogwarts, and by the looks of things they enjoy it almost as much as I do."

With those words Aden spun Athena out, so the whole crowd could see the sheer display of beauty and grace he had been hogging. Aden looked down the tip of his nose, and across the combined length other arms to the right side of her face. of course Aden's glares was not one of pent ration. or one of bewilderment, but one of intensity.