Welcome Back Ball :: {everyone}

[daphne]

Daphne rolled her eyes, ”You honestly think that you have fans, love?”

[/b] She asked moving her feet back and forth slightly. Her dance moves didn’t match the slow ballroom music that seemed to be overtaking the Great Hall. If McGonegall was really trying to promoted this unity crap then she was going to have to step out of her comfort zone and actually take a chance. At least take a chance on music that didn’t sound like it was from the 1800s. She still had her hand outstretched for his, waiting for him to join her on her little escapade upon the table, ”Those fans just want to know if you’re as good in bed as you are on the pitch-”[/b] She winked and then leaned down so that she could whisper at him, ”I told them you were. Hope you don’t mind.”[/b] She was of course, only joking. Theo was one of the only people that she hadn’t considered sleeping with over the years. She waved her hand at him, trying to get him to grab it and join her.

But what he did was not what she was expecting. With a quick jerk, he had pulled her down off of the table and onto his lap, ”My drink!”[/b] She yelled with a laugh, but was happy to see that it hadn’t gone anywhere. In fact, it didn’t even look like it had moved amongst the commotion of what had just happened. She cast him a mock-wary glance, knowing that Theo had probably done something to it to make sure that it didn’t spill. He knew how...attached she grew to her drinks. She was very aware that she was sitting in Theo’s lap and she was also very aware of how much she wanted to stay there. For the few seconds that she remained rooted to him, she kicked her feet up and whistled loudly. Then he was ushering her off and making sure she was firmly back on the ground.

”Now now, Theo. That wasn’t very nice.”[/b] She said and pouted. She grabbed the empty cup out of his hand and stared at it, then back at her own drink. Her Living Death mix was a family secret, known only by her and AJ. And of course, they didn’t like to share family secrets. They may not have been close, but they certainly took their alcohol preferences very seriously. But as she weighed the pros and cons, she could already feel her fingers itching to pour him some. She rolled her eyes and then put his cup on the table, leaning over so that she could measure how much was going in, ”Well you see Theo-”[/b] Her hands aptly began evenly distributing the mixture into his cup and hers. The first pour left her with a little less and she pouted, determined to do it again, ”The Headmistress just hates when Royalty shows up. Says we cause too much trouble.”[/b]

She laughed to herself. McGonegall really didn’t like Daphne all that much. She thought of her as a trouble maker and often gave her detentions for the shenanigans that she had tendency to pull. She had lost a fair amount of Slytherin points already this year because of alcohol violations in the Common Room. She was beginning to think that the Headmistresses was picking on her because she had proclaimed herself Slytherin Princess. That would fit, right? Then again, it was probably just the alcohol talking its way through her mind.

”So if she hates it. I’m going to do it anyways.”[/b] She said, eyeing the room, looking for the woman that she was talking about. But she seemed no where in sight, which meant that she was safe. She turned her attention back to the glasses which were now evenly distributed and then handed one to Theo, ”Drink carefully, Prince Charming.”[/b] She raised her glass and then took a large gulp, wincing yet again. As much as she drunk, she could never quite get used to the first sip. It was always the one that burned the most, the one that made her aware of just what she was doing...after the first sip, though, everything else became easier. She was thankful for that, ”So tell me, who’s the worst dressed?”[/b] She asked, peering over the crowd. She pointed to Ginny Weasley first, ”Looks like a bloody cupcake, doesn’t she?” She laughed darkly and then sat down on Theo’s lap, perfectly comfortable where she had been before he had pushed her off.[/blockquote]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Theo had to admit, even if Daphne's off-beat dancing didn't go with the music, she had moves, and he quite enjoyed watching her dance up there on the table. It was a shame he had to pull her down so quickly, especially after the words she'd whispered to him. They sent undeniable chills down his spine, despite knowing that the words she spoke weren't true. He sent a wicked grin up at her.

"You have my thanks," he winked at her, and then she was on his lap, whining about her drink, which was perfectly fine. What kind of person did she take him for? He'd never risk wasting good alcohol. And whatever Daphne was drinking definitely looked wicked. She seemed a bit unhappy about being back on the floor, claiming that it wasn't very nice of him. He shrugged his shoulders, waving his cup in her face once more with a cocky grin. He could see that she was debating with herself as she began speaking of McGonagall, and he snickered at her explanation that the Headmistress hated Royalty.

"Oh does she now?" Theo said, throwing her a mock-shocked face before it fell into a grin. She said that whatever the Headmistress hated she would do, and he had half a mind to say he heard a rumor the other day that the Headmistress hated him, but he kept the comment in his mind, still allowing a snicker to escape.

“Well it just so happens I’m very fond of trouble,” he commented with a grin as she ended up placing his glass on the table to fill it with whatever beverage sloshed within her flask. If McGonagall caught her with that, and him with the glass, they’d likely both be thrown out of the ball anyway, but… whatever. He didn’t need some stupid ball about house unity to brighten up his night. And in case McGonagall hadn’t noticed, there wasn’t much house unity going on at all. Two Slytherins were conversing in the corner, Weasley and Cresswell were chatting in a corner, but they’d been friends since first year so they hardly counted…The only real inter-house mingling that was going on seemed to be Grayson and Parry, which still intrigued Theo to no end, but he’d not think on it tonight. He could worry about it later. “So I’m glad you decided to give the metaphoric finger to our oh so wonderful Headmisterss.”

He grinned as he was handed a drink from her. He lifted his glass in toast with hers and took a large swig of the dark drink. It burned like bloody hell, but he swallowed it with a poker face, grinning at her as she seated herself down on his lap. She did tell him to drink carefully. But, like most Slytherins, he hardly followed rules.

“You really know how to brew ‘em, don’tcha?” he asked with a grin as he wrapped his left hand around her stomach to hold her in place on his lap. Not like she was going anywhere. She started asking who was worst dressed, pointing out Ginny Weasley first. Theo laughed at her comment about her looking like a cupcake. He nodded in agreement, continuing to laugh for a few seconds before it finally stopped.

“Hmm…” he said, taking another drink of the royal drink, whatever it was. “I’m definitely thinking Cresswell, actually,” he said pointing to the girl, “looks like McGonagall accidentally mowed her over when they were redoing the entrance hall.” He grinned, chuckling a little before he looked around the room.

“And now…for best dressed,” he said with a grin before looking her up and down, despite her being in a seated position. “Why I dare say it has to be us.” He looked around the room once more.

“What do you suppose Grayson is doing talking to Parry?”

[daphne]

”Mmmmm-”

[/b] Daph drug her finger across his forehead, pushing some of his unruly hair out of his eyes so that she could stare into them for a moment, ”Trouble’s pretty fond of you too, says the word around town,”[/b] She rolled her eyes and then ruffled his hair. She imagined that he must have spent quite a good deal of time trying to get his hair to lie flat like that, after all, she had never seen it so tame in all her life. He was going to hate her for messing it up, she was sure of it...but that was the reason that she did it, just to push his buttons and get a reaction from him.

”Ah the metaphoric finger-”[/b] Daphne mused as she looked around the room, eyes still searching for the Headmistress. She almost hoped that she would make an appearance so that she would throw Daphne out of the ball. Now that would cause a stir around school. Slytherin Princess gets thrown out of unity ball for bringing the festivities to a new level. If that didn’t make the front page of The Underground, then she wasn’t sure what kind of news they were reporting, but it certainly wasn’t worth her time, ”No one else around here had the balls to do it.”[/b] She said, her eyes flitting to the boring groups of students that were around. She was surprised by how tame the party was, but she supposed that after the entire Wizarding world had just gotten finished beating the crap out of each other, then tame was what the Headmistress was after. Daphne Greengrass, however, did not do tame.

She laughed as he refused to head her warning, taking a rather large swig. She wasn’t all that surprised that he had done so, after all, it was Theodore Nott that she was talking to. He never did what he was told, ”Slow down or you’ll alert the entire party to our illegal beverages.”[/b] She said, placing her fingertip on the lip of his cup. They couldn’t drink too fast or one of them would end up on the table again, dancing around like a fool. Or worse, they would both end up on the table and might break it....On second thought - she let go of his cup - it might be fun to see Theo all loosened up like he was at the Slytherin parties.

”I learned from the best.”[/b] She shrugged her shoulders and then crossed her ankles. Theo had taught her how to mix her own drinks a couple of years ago and since then, she had been trying out different combinations, trying to get the biggest buzz with the least amount of effort. The Living Death that they were drinking now was the closest thing that she had come up with and she had to admit that it was delicious, even by her standards, ”It’s such a crime when the student surpasses the teacher, wouldn’t you say?”[/b] She asked, becoming aware that he had slipped his hand around her stomach. She could feel her skin burning under her dress, desperate for more contact, but she refused to give in. At least for now. Maybe in a couple of hours when the drinks were doing all the talking, she would be whistling a very different tune.

”Oh merlin-”[/b] Daphne’s eyes passed over Cresswell and she had to restrain a gag. The girl looked like a golden-covered cupid...and not the good kind. Rather like a baby wrapped in golden cloth that looked as if it was going to be sick all over the Great Hall. Summer Cresswell neither looked like she belonged there nor like she wanted to be there. It felt somewhat obligatory from the looks of things. Then her eyes flitted over the girl’s outfit. The dress would have been pretty on someone who had the right curves to fill it out, but the little girl’s athletic shape gave her nothing to go on, ”Well-played, Nott.”[/b] She pressed the edge of her cup to her lips and then took another small sip.

”Of course we’re the best dressed-”[/b] She turned around slightly and untied his bow-tie and used the ends to pull him a little closer to her, ”We could be the power couple, Theo. Everyone would adore us-”[/b] She whispered, her lips desperately close to his. But then he had to go and bring up Grayson and Parry. Reluctantly, she drew away from him and searched for who he was talking about.

Her eyes drifted down a couple tables until they found Archer and Sive standing together. Her nose immediately wrinkled, ”What is he doing with her?”[/b] She muttered, her curiosity once again getting the best of her. Sive was a mudblood, Daphne knew that for a fact and she also knew that Archer didn’t have anything to do with mubloods. She watched with interest the interaction that was going on between them, ”Well lookie there-”[/b] She said, ”Seems as if someone’s got a thing for a dirty-blooded muggle-lover.”[/b] She laughed loudly and then turned to Theo, ”Promise me you’ll never leave me for mudblood? I’m not sure my ego could take it.”[/b] She rolled her eyes, knowing full well that they weren’t together (yet), so there was no reason for her to be worrying about it in the first place.[/blockquote]

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

He could’ve killed her for messing up his hair. Really! Did she have any idea how long it had taken him to get it to look presentable? Oh, she definitely did. He could tell by the look in her eyes. B****. He rolled his eyes toward her before pinching her in the side. While he was more comfortable with his curly hair messed up and hanging around his eyes… he had been trying to look presentable. Ah well. He let out a heavy sigh before narrowing his eyes at her.

“Now I’m second in line for best dressed to Grayson. Thanks,” he said looking mock-offended. Despite the hair being messed up, he had to admit he was pretty happy about hearing trouble was fond of him, even if that’s not really what they were talking about. He grinned at the thought before Daphne started staring about the room. He chuckled at her comment of the metaphoric finger, and how true it was. It seemed like AJ might have been trying, with her angry demeanor and sulking in a corner. But Daphne was definitely more… well, ballsy. It’s why she played Quidditch, and why she had wanted the beaters position. Shame about that ruckus, really. She might’ve been really good at the position…

“How right you are, my dear. You tell that awful woman just how awful she is with your goblet of poison,” he said holding up his glass, but not yet taking a sip. It was only a few seconds though, but Daphne scolded him, telling him to slow down. Please, did she know who she was talking to? He shook his head as she lifted her finger from his glass. “That’s what I thought, Greengrass,” he said with a playful glare, taking another sip. Merlin this stuff was strong… Perhaps the girl had been right after all… Nonsense! Another smug grin crossed his face as she said she learned from the best. Of course she did! But wait… there she went turning everything around again. Wicked girl. He narrowed his eyes at her.

“I doubt your skills will ever pass mine, Princess,” he said only half-serious. She could be better at him than making alcoholic potions for all he knew. He wouldn’t question it. The stuff they were drinking was certainly delicious, and incredibly alcoholic, judging from the fact that his brain was already becoming the slightest bit foggy, and that wasn’t a feat easily achieved. It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t impressed with the girl’s handiwork, but he’d never tell her that either. Her ego was already the size of Hogwarts, like she needed him to beef it up anymore. He was satisfied with her reaction of a laugh at his mention of Cresswell, and at the mention of them being best dressed things got very… interesting, to say the least. She tugged him closer to her, their lips practically touching. He felt frozen for a moment, unsure what the older Greengrass had planned, but he had to go and open his stupid mouth, and then her head was turned away. Part of him felt thankful that her eyes weren’t boring into his anymore, their lips dangerously close, teasing. He was no longer tempted to act on any impulses, and he didn’t have to deal with that warmth that was quickly spreading through his entire body. He hated that she seemed to cause that to happen to him, but let’s be honest, he loved it at the same time.

“Adore us? I’d be afraid girls would try and skin you alive out of jealousy,” he said, a goofy grin falling across his face before she started asking questions about Grayson. It was well known that the man couldn’t stand mudbloods, and rumor had it that he planned to be the one to get everyone back together again for one more go at it. They were only rumors, though, so Theo tried not to put too much expectancy into it. Though he’d be more than happy to provide his services if the rumors ended up being true, of course. Daphne had turned back to looking at him now and he snorted a laugh at her request. They weren’t even dating, but he’d play along, of course.

“Princess the day my affections falls to a mudblood is the day you have permission to take my beater’s spot,” another cheeky grin made its way across his face as he lifted his, acting as if he were going to push the small amount of bangs she'd allowed to hang down off of her face. Instead, he used his hand to tug a piece of her brown hair that had fallen down sometime throughout the course of the ball. He tried not to yank it too hard, considering he didn’t actually want to hurt the girl. He just wanted to annoy her. After all, she always did such a good job of annoying him. He was only returning the favor.

[archer]

Archer’s eyes scanned the entire Great Hall, looking for some signs of life. It seemed as if everyone was just sleeping on their feet. There was no liveliness. Nothing to keep the party going. Not that he particularly minded; parties weren’t really his thing anyway. Archer put the back of his hand to his mouth as he stifled a yawn, careful to keep his eyes trained on Sive just in case she tried anything stupid. Not that she would in such a public place, but Archer could never be too careful.

”So you took enough care to put them away for me? You’ve gone soft, Parry.” Archer said and raised his goblet to her in a mock-toast. Then he pressed it to his lips and took a swig, the liquid filling his mouth entirely. He was thankful that there was no reason to get drunk tonight, he had seen quite enough of the drunken-Slytherins at the party the other night. He was beginning to think that all they ever did was drink to keep the demons at bay. They drank instead of doing something about what they were hurting about. They drank because they thought that they had no other options. They drank because they were all idiots. Archer shook his head, lost in his own thoughts for a moment. He would show them what it meant to get revenge.

Just then, his eyes slipping away from Sive, he caught site of Nott and Greengrass looking at him. What were they doing? They were both laughing and pointing at him. Probably because he was wasting his time with a bloody Gryffindor. He would have to answer to them later, but for right now, he was perfectly content playing his little mind-games with the minx in front of him. He slipped his arm around her back, placing his palm on the small of her back and then pulling her close so that his lips were pressed against her hair, ”I’ll give you a few excuses to slip out of that dress.” He chided, trying to be playful, although with Grayson, his flirts always seemed to come off as too serious for consideration. He loosened his grip on her and then watched her turn away. Had that been a blush that he had seen? Was he actually starting to get to her? The thought that his plan was developing far quicker than he originally thought was amusing to him.

”Surely it depends on the people in attendance.”

[/i]

Time to test the boundaries, Arch thought with a dangerous smile. His eyes started scanning the crowd, ”Alright. Those in attendance-” He looked around slowly, making sure that he tallied everyone, ”Little Weasley and my nosey cousin. Flops.” He pointed to Ginny and Summer and then rolled his eyes. He hated both of them...even more so than he hated Sive. He nodded toward Theodore Nott and Daphne, ”The Slytherin Princess and future Prince.” He raised his goblet at them both, ”Those Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Chasers.” He pointed at Stephanie and Susan, ”And little Jameson. Hardly a group of hoodlums if you ask me. The all look rather tame.” He took another gulp of his drink and then set it on the table.

”Dance with me Parry.” It wasn’t a question, it was a demand. He held out his hand toward her expectantly and then felt a smirk playing at the edges of his lips. As much as he hated to be around her, he was desperate for a dance. Showing her off would be like showing off a piece of priceless artwork, he mused.[/blockquote]

[daphne]

Daphne laughed loudly when he pinched her sides. Of course he knew that she was ticklish there, it was basically common knowledge. But just the same, she shot him a dirty look and then stuck out her tongue. He was only mad because she had ruined his hair. She knew that it had definitely bothered him; the narrowed eyes and exasperated sigh said it all, ”You look better like this, pretty boy.”

[/b] She muttered and moved one of his curls out of his face so that she had a better view of his eyes. The care-free look was her favorite of Theo’s. Maybe it was because it made him seem like he didn’t care what anyone thought of him. She respected that...sometimes she wished that she could be so aloof to what everyone else thought. But she was always trying to win the upper hand, always trying to climb the social ladder and be on top.

”Don't worry-”[/b] She cast another long glance at Archer Grayson who was now holding Parry’s back, ”With the baggage that he’s toting around, you’ll always win.”[/b] She didn’t like that he was hanging around with a Muggleborn like that. It was sitting ill with her...and she hadn’t even been on a side in the war. There was just something...so wrong about what he was doing. And it was as if everyone knew it. She could almost taste the tension in the air. She didn’t like it. Perhaps she would have to have a talk with Archer later on and figure out what he was up to...she knew that he didn’t play well when it came to her charm, but it was worth a go.

Daphne grinned and looked around after he prompted her to tell that ‘awful woman’ just what she thought of everything. But McGonegall looked rather busy and rather on high alert, so she decided that it was perhaps not the best idea in the world. Daphne wasn’t all about self-preservation, but in times like these, it was perhaps better to lie under the radar until the timing was right, ”She’s such a prude.”[/b] She muttered and then took another sip of her drink, wincing slightly, but the smile returning right after it finished running down her throat, ”You know we got docked points the other night for the Slytherin Party? Apparently she didn’t like knowing that we were mixing drinks and dancing into the wee hours of the morning.”[/b] She rolled her eyes. Prick of a Headmistress, that woman was. It was after a bloody war, for merlin’s sake. She could at least let them have a little fun...otherwise they would go crazy.

”Well then,”[/b] Daphne had always wanted that beater’s spot. But she was sure that Theo would never subject himself to falling for someone so...below him. So there was no way that she was getting it. She would just have to be content in her Chaser’s position for the time being, ”I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, now won’t we? Have you heard about what he’s planning to do?”[/b] She breathed into the air between them, knowing that she was safe to bring up such ideas with Theo. Word around school was that Archer was going to get the gang all back together and stage some sort of rebellion or...a completely new world order. It was ambitious to say the least, but she wasn’t sure how much water the rumors held. After all, everything got a little embellished with the Slytherins. She knew Theo’s opinions on the war that had just come to a conclusion and he knew hers...well, at least he knew what hers used to be. She had been afraid of choosing the wrong side when it came to the war, so she had backed out. But since then, she had been talking even more about the mudbloods and the wrong side of the war. It was beginning to become apparent that Daphne Greengrass would join rank should another war ever break out like that.

She rolled her eyes, ”Fangirls. Can’t live with them. Can’t live without them.”[/b] She blew some of her bangs out of her eyes so that she could see a little better and then laughed, ”Let me guess-”[/b] She pressed her fingers to her lips as she thought, ”Desi has been fan-girling over you. As well as Olivia and-”[/b] She paused for a moment, trying to think of who else would love Theo, ”Zeke. Definitely Zeke.”[/b] She laughed loudly and looked around the room, trying to figure out where the rest of her crew was. She supposed that they thought themselves too cool for the school-sanctioned ball.

He tugged on her hair and her instincts took over. She grabbed his wrist and then stared him down, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. She knew that he had just been teasing, but her mind was already primed for something more, ”Theodore Nott. You know better than to mess with me in my intoxicated state.”[/b] Her words were accompanied by a dangerous smile. She tended to become very aggressive and forward when she was under the influence, something that Theo knew after their extensive time together. She could only imagine what she would have done if she had had more to drink. With raised eyebrows she leaned forward and nipped at his nose, playfully, ”Kiss me, Theo.”[/b] She said with a giggle, her head seemingly spinning from her drink. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to play these games tonight, but they were beginning to feel right and right now, feeling right was all that she wanted to do, ”I know you want to.”[/b] She chided and placed his hand around her waist, she turned to face him, her legs still on one side of his body. Her eyes were glittering with alcohol induced excitement and the sheer thrill of being there with him.[/blockquote]

[SIVE BRANNAGH PARRY]

Sive raised an eyebrow as Grayson asked if she had gone soft. That was a good one. No, she hadn't gone soft. Just because she hadn't let his stuff out there to get rained on, his broom left to be stolen. She just wasn't a Slytherin. That didn't mean soft. Sive may have let the odd smirk pass over her face while she was speaking to Archer Grayson, but she wasn't going to let him rub off on her too much.

And besides, leaving his broom out to be stolen might be seen as sabotage. And Sive didn't want anyone thinking that the Gryffindor team had to resort to sabotage to win a match. With the first Quidditch match of the season, that was a hot topic. And doubly so, considering the first match was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Sive found herself wondering what it would be like to face down Grayson with the Quaffle after what had happened between them on the Quidditch pitch the other day. She was sure it wouldn't effect her performance, but it might give it a personal edge.

And then Archer put his hand on the small of her back, and she stopped thinking about Quidditch. His hand on her bare skin- especially in such an intimate place- was enough to keep her mind occupied. Again, she felt aware of just how much the dress exposed, and again she didn't care. Sive Parry was definitely taking more and more risks. Case in point, the Slytherin she was speaking to right now.

She let him pull her close, and her mind couldn't help where his words took her. But she quickly shook herself out of it. She looked away, and took another drink. The feeling of being out of control was part of what drew her to Archer Grayson's company, but that did not mean she wanted him to have the power. Far from it. She didn't want to give him control over her.

Sive looked around the room as Archer pointed out who was there, and made various detrimental comments. "You just happen to pick out the Gryffindor chasers," she said, smiling. The only Gryffindor chaser he hadn't mentioned was herself. "Feeling threatened? Worried about the match?" She said it teasingly, and forgot about the comment as soon as it was made. Making comments about the other's Quidditch team; that was sort of what they did. And they had much more pressing matters when it came to their personal dynamic. Like the fact that Sive kept thinking about his lips on hers, and how much she hated him for making her so confused.

She shouldn't have been, but Sive was surprised when Archer asked her to dance. Really, she should have expected it; like he would pass up a chance to lead, and be (at least partially) in control of her. She thought about turning him down, but really it seemed like a feeble point to make. She was a bit beyond denying him a simple dance. She realised it was a slippery slope, but she didn't care. She wanted reckless. She wanted something that was bad for her, but felt good.

"You'd better be able to dance, Grayson," she said, taking his hand. "Don't make me look bad."

[THEODORE JACOB NOTT]

Daphne’s laughter brought a smile to Theo’s face as he let out a laugh himself. He’d tickled her quite often over the years, usually after a practice or something for some wicked comment of hers. Sometimes it got a bit out of hand, really. They both got out of a hand a lot of the time, but they didn’t care. Theo smirked as Daphne said that he looked better with his hair unflattened, and inwardly he agreed. He certainly felt better with his hair all a mess. It was just how he lived his life, and he really was quite fond of his hair. “I know, I’m devilishly handsome,” he said with a cocky grin, but he didn’t really mean it. Well, yes he did. He knew he was handsome, but he didn’t often going around gloating about it. Well, that was a lie, too. He just wasn’t so obvious about his gloating. He usually let the fangirls speak for themselves.

Then the conversation moved back to Archer, who was raising a glass in their direction. Theo lifted his own goblet in response as he laughed a little at Daphne’s comment and took another sip of the drink. Merlin it was so good, and the warmth that was now ever present in his body wasn’t going anywhere. Daphne Greengrass was a damn good potion maker.

“You’re right about that. I’m not sure I’m too fond of the baggage he’s lugging around,” he said with a sigh. What was Archer getting himself into? Maybe he was just using her as a ploy. He wouldn’t put it past Archer to go that far to keep up appearances with McGonagall and the rest of the staff, especially after what was printed in the last issue of The Underground. If he had been keeping in touch with his mother than that would surely lead to trouble on his end. If he pretended to play nice with a Gryffindor, a mudblood Gryffindor at that, then things would look all peachy keen and maybe they would overlook the article. It was only gossip, after all. Theo assured himself that that had to be it. Archer would never actually fall for a mudblood, would he? No, he couldn’t! It was practically illegal, especially after the rumors that were floating around about his plans. She asked if he knew what Archer was planning to do, and he shrugged slightly. “With her? Not a clue. In general I have a vague idea that it involves gathering the troops, as it were. But, only rumor. I’ll put no faith in it until I hear something solid,” he said with a shrug. He was all for beginning another war, but only if it meant they would win this time. He really wasn’t fond of getting so many injuries and hearing so many people die and being on the losing end. It left a sour taste in his mouth.

Daphne mentioned the loss of points for the party the other night and Theo rolled his eyes. Of course they’d lost points. If it didn’t involve house unity and flowers or something McGonagall would take points, especially if it was Slytherin. “You’re right about that. I can’t believe she docked points. Half of us are already bloody legal anyway!” If he and Daphne hadn’t been forced to repeat the year they’d be adults in the eyes of the rest of the wizarding world, so why were they still being treated like they were children here? It annoyed Theo to no end. Sure, a lot of the students who drank at those parties were underaged, but was it really that big a deal? It’s not like anyone was getting hurt! Well, that fourth year they’d tied up did have some rather excessive rope burn, but that was only because he struggled! He would have been perfectly fine if he’d just stayed still. But nooo he had to try and escape. Clearly he had underestimated the power of Eli’s spells.

Theo grinned as Daphne began talking about his fangirls. He chuckled at her comment about not being able to live with them or without them. He might have been able to live without them, if he found a suitable replacement. His thoughts momentarily told him that Daphne could be a suitable replacement, but they were quickly shoved away. However, the humor to the conversation as she began to name his fan girls.

“Desi’s been fan-girling over me since the day she met me, trust me,” he said with a chuckle. He shrugged at the mention of Olivia. She could fan-girl over him, but he wasn’t entirely sure. At the mention of Zeke Theo had just about lost it laughing. “Oh no, I think Zeke is more the type to fan-girl over you, really,” he said with a wink before laughter got the best of him once more.

When Daphne grabbed his wrist he felt his entire body begin to tingle slightly. Whatever she had put in this beverage was certainly strong, and it was certainly working. Or… maybe that was just Daphne making him feel that way. She used his full name and a goofy grin spread across his face. No one ever called him Theodore. It just sounded so… formal, but the grin that accompanied Daphne’s grin were anything but formal and his eyes widened in slight excitement and slight shock. Was she really doing what she thought he was doing? She leaned forward and nipped at his nose a bit, and told him to kiss her. He felt his heart beat heavier inside his chest as his body caught on fire slightly. His breathing was quick and silent as his eyes stared into hers. He could see playfulness there, but he could also see desire, and that practically drove him mad. He swallowed slightly, debating on which instinct he wanted to follow here. Bloody hell, he knew which instinct he wanted to follow, but here? In front of all these people, well… maybe… He smirked as she placed his hand around her waist and she turned to face him. She was making it too easy… too tempting. He knew that she wanted it as badly as he did, and Theo was never one to give in to someone’s demands so quickly, even his own. Not without a bit of teasing first.

He grinned slightly, his eyes full of devious desire as he tightened his grip on her waist, his thumb tracing small circles on her hip bone.

“Daphne Greengrass…” he smirked with one brow raised as he moved his head towards her, their lips practically touching, his entire body tingling with desire, his head a bit foggy from whatever Daphne had in that damn flask. “I don’t want to take advantage of your ‘intoxicated state,’” he said, practically breathless as he fought the urge to give them both what they desperately wanted. A smirk was on his face once more. He liked these games, though he wasn’t sure if either of them would lose. It definitely seemed like a win-win.

[archer]

Archer scoffed, ”Gryffindor has nothing on us.” He said as he continued to scan the room. He didn’t allow his eyes to settle on any one particular person for too long. He didn’t like the idea that someone would look back at him, especially not the Gryffindors, ”Slytherin has been training hardcore since the beginning of the term.” He raised his glass to his lips and took a large gulp, thankful for the liquid that ran down his throat. All this talking was beginning to make him thirsty.

”Zeke Maxwell has been particularly keen on leading our new Chaser offense. And as much as I hate the b******, he’s got a good mind for the offensive line.” The Quidditch small talk was all a cover and he knew it. Archer and Sive weren’t supposed to be around each other and he felt like he was covering up whatever this was by subjecting both of them to the nonsense that was his Quidditch team. Not that he didn’t enjoy talking about Quidditch, he just wished that it was not with her, ”You little lions are going to have to step up your game if you want to give us a run for our money.” He rocked back slightly, checking to see if anyone was behind them. Thankful that there wasn’t, he returned to looking at Sive’s profile. The features that looked so hard from the front now appeared delicate and feminine when looking on from the side. She looked so much more...beaut-

Aboslutely not. Archer would not allow himself to think that Sive was beautiful or otherwise pretty. She was not a woman to be won, she was a b**** that deserved this. She deserved all the agony that he was about to put her through. Well, about to in the sense that he had to win her affections first. That was the hard part about all of this.

”Do you honestly think that I don’t know how to dance?” His tone was one indeed of surprise. Archer Grayson had been raised in a pureblood family, one that heavily valued all things of upper society. And ballroom dancing was definitely one of those things. He didn’t allow his fingertips to leave her back, he rather liked the feeling of her bare skin on his fingertips, but he used his other hand to lead them both onto the dance floor. He stopped when he reached the center and then reluctantly removed his hand from her back. He carefully adjusted his frame, his stature dwarfing Sive easily. With a ghost of a smile on his lips, he raised both of his eyebrows at her, ”Sive. Put your hand on my shoulder.” His command was dry, void of any emotions whatsoever, and yet, he seemed so dangerously commanding. Something tugged at the edges of his lips and for once in his life, Archer Grayson smiled willingly.

[SIVE BRANNAGH PARRY]

Archer continued to talk about Quiddich, and even though Sive knew that it was a way of avoiding the situation, she let him. Not only did she not particularly want to be the one to draw attention to the potential awkwardness between them, but he was really giving her a lot of good information here. So Maxwell was the one to watch, and he was leading the Slytherin Chasers in an offensive line? Sive would remember that for their upcoming match. The best defence was a good offence; if Maxwell was on the attack, and they constantly played the defensive, the game would be pushed back towards the Gryffindor goal posts, making it easier for Slytherin to score. Sive would make sure that they gave as good as they got. It might lead to a few goals slipping through the cracks, but the match wouldn't swing in Slytheirn's favour. She smiled slightly, and took another drink, finding it funny that Archer hadn't realised how much he was giving away to the 'enemy'.

Sive became aware that Archer's hand hadn't left her back while they had been talking. She thought that she really should mind more, and that if she had any sense left she'd tell him to get her hands off her. But her good sense seemed to have vanished a while ago.

She raised an eyebrow as he asked if she really thought he didn't know how to dance. Well, she didn't know, did she? He could be clumsy as hell on the dance floor. But he seemed confident (he always seemed confident), so she trusted that he knew what he was doing.

Sive let him lead her on to the dance floor, aware that his hand still hadn't left her back, and aware that people were watching them... a lot of people. Clearly they were a matter of interest at the ball tonight. But Sive didn't care. She had her pride, and she wasn't about to go and hide in a corner. There was nothing to be done about it, so they should just ignore it.

”Sive. Put your hand on my shoulder.”


Her eyes met his as he spoke. It was the first time he had ever said her name. It was an Irish name (the original spelling could be a nightmare; no English person ever expected Sadhbh to rhyme with 'thrive') , to match her Irish roots (Sive's family was Irish, and she had been born there) but there was something nice about the way Archer said it, even with his very English accent.

He was commanding, but she found herself following his direction. To her surprise, she saw something she hadn't expected; despite himself, Archer's face broke into a genuine smile. Sive couldn't help smiling back slightly. She couldn't remember if she'd ever seen a willing smile on his face, and it was disarming.

"I take it you're leading, then," she said. Her hand was on his shoulder, but she was unsure where to put her other one. Sive had been raised in a small English village, by an Irish muggle family. They had modest roots, and so ballroom dancing had never been on the agenda.

He towered over her, and even in her heels Sive had to look up so her eyes would meet his. "You know we're attracting a lot of attention," she said, watching to see his reaction.

[ϟ ADMIN ADRIENNE]

The Ball thread has been open for some time now, and the only two plots still going in it are the Daphne and Theo plot and the Sive and Archer plot. I thought now would be a good time to close the ball thread, so we can start another of our site wide events that Quinn and I have planned!
I've created two threads where Daphne, Theo, Sive and Archer can continue their plots as individual threads

Sive and Archer ........ Daphne and Theo


WELCOME BACK BALL THREAD CLOSED