The Welcome Dance!

[Doctor Florence Nettle]

The Doctor, dressed in his new suit, stood up at the high table of the main hall, raising his arms up in greeting to all of the students and staff members who had come to attend the dance,

"Welcome to you all!" he greeted them happily, "As I'm sure you're all aware... this is the first day back at school! Yay right?"

He grinned as some of the pranksters of the school laughed along with him, or at him. Wasn't like it really mattered to him. They would laugh at him either way and, to be honest, he preferred if they did it to his face. He waved his hands,

"Now I want a nice dance alright?" he grinned a bit more, "So no alcohol is to be consumed by students under any conditions okay? I'm not going to fall for the whole 'medical usage' rubbish alright?"

Smirking now, he waved to the band to begin playing,

"Dance and enjoy the night!"

[Guest]

Alys waited in the Entrance Hall uncertainly, already starting to feel the chill from the walls crawling inside her. She had always known it would be cold here but only now did she understand how cold. Growing up near the coast, the witch was used to pleasantly warm weather and unexpected evening showers but her first glimpse of school had been snow. At first she had thought it pretty but now she was beginning to see why people grumbled about it so.

The Ballroom would be heated, she knew. And wished Tarragon would come soon so they could go in together. To her dismay she had no matching jacket with her pale blue dress and so had just come like that. And now she was afraid goose pimples would start showing up and down her arms.

[Guest]

Running down the stairs two at a time, Tarragon cursed himself for not leaving a little earlier when he didn't know his way around. Alys was going to kill him and they'd only made friends that day. He knew he was an idiot before he rounded the corner and nearly collided into her.

"I. Am. So. Sorry!" He gasped between breaths. Sucking in a deep breath and calming his heart rate back down. "You're alright, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

He looked as apologetic as he could, hoping that he would be forgiven...

[Guest]

Just as Alys was thinking off perhaps slipping into the folds of a curtain to keep warm, Tarragon literally ran into her. One moment she was considering the rich folds of the velvet floor length curtains that decked the picturesque window in the Entrance Hall and the next she was almost knocked off her feet as a running blond boy all but crashed into her.

"You're alright, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"I'm fine," she replied catching her breath before smiling all out. "Am I glad to see you. Let's get inside the ballroom before we freeze, shall we?" she said jokingly. It was getting easier to talk to him now that he seemed more like a normal student who did normal things like run late and into people.

[Guest]

He offers his hand to her, hoping that this is as acceptable in Germany as it is in Austria.

"M'Lady, can I escort you into the dining hall?" A cheeky grin plays across his lips, hoping she doesn't think he is trying anything, only wishing for her smile to be on full show to him.

[Guest]

Alys grinned brightly and took the offered hand clasping it and then practically running to the doors leading into the ballroom. He might try and act all adult and gentlemanly but she would show him they could make this fun. A wicked idea flashed through her head of Tarragon on a bike but she stashed it away in her head for later.

She was rosy cheeked and pleasantly out of breath when they entered the ballroom and the rush of warm air on her skin felt positively delightedly. Unknowingly, her smile grew brighter.

"I get the feeling I'm going to miss the weather back home while I'm here," she said fondly to the boy beside her. "But I suppose the cold has its benefits."

[Guest]

He handed expected such a small girl to be able to pull him as abruptly as she had managed through the door. And now, with her haste to get into the hall she had pulled everyones attention onto them. He noted how many people looked at them holding hands, him being towed into the hall. But he didn't pull away from her. He knew how girls reacted to being unassociated with and if anything held on tighter.

"I get the feeling I'm going to miss the weather back home while I'm here," she said fondly to the boy beside her. "But I suppose the cold has its benefits."

He smiled down to her as the whole room heard their conversation, which he guessed was more for his ears only than everyone elses. Looking around, Tarragon could see that the party had only just started, the music was only just getting up to full volume and people only just leaving their seats.

Pulling gently on Alys' arm, he led her to the dance floor, a mid tempo song playing from the band, slow enough to hold her hand, but fast enough so that it wasn't an awkward first dance. He spins her round in once and places takes her other hand cautiously.

"Just one dance?"

[Guest]

Realizing belatedly how she must have attracted everyone's attention, Alys looked down and tried to drop Tarragon's hand but now he was the one holding firm and leading her to... no way!

"You promised," she whispered as he spun her once. "No dance. We had a deal, Zeverai!"

But try as she might, she couldn't keep a small smile off her face. The music was slow enough so it didn't really count as dancing and at their age, they would look "cute" more than anything else. Nonetheless, Alys felt the need to remind him of the bicycle threat again.

"I swear, as soon as I get a bicycle..." she hissed in his ear as they continued to move together on the dance floor.

[Guest]

"Oh, come on Alys! Where is your sense of adventure? A new school, a new friend, and possibly even a new hobby. Ow!"

He hadn't realised he had said something that warranted being stood on, but the pain was horrible from the kitten heels she wore. He told himself it was an accident, but wasn't entirely sure as to whether it would be true.

He continued to make her spin every couple of lines in the song, and his face was lit up with the smile that spread across her lips every time he did so.

"Your dress looks wonderful, by the way. Why did you think I would laugh?" He whispers in her ear once more.

[Guest]

"Because Mama picks all my dresses," she admitted, feeling not at all guilty that she had accidentally stepped on him. She had warned him earlier that she couldn't dance so really, he deserved whatever he was getting. Of course she wouldn't go out of her way to hurt him but when she did accidentally step on his feet, well, she wasn't going to be all that guilt ridden.

"I know a lot of girls make a big fuss over dressing up but I just let my Mama do it. It makes her happy and leaves me the hassle of getting my own clothes," she blushed at the admission.

[Guest]

He smiled at how open the girl was. He liked that in a girl, it left little space for him to have to fill with conversation. And at least Alys wouldn't bore him to death with the ins and outs of her shopping trips. He span her one last time as the music came to an end, making sure he did so well enough so that it looked a little professional.

"You know, on a pale girl like yourself, blushing really brings out the inner colour and beauty. Would you like some punch?" He asked moving on from his previous comment, wishing he had been a little more tactile.

He led her to the punch bowl, pouring her a cup first, and then collecting one for himself.

"So, the sorting, that is when?"

[Guest]

The first thing that went through the girl's mind when she heard that line was "which radio show did he pinch that from?" Alys had never been spoken to like that in her entire life and was therefore understandably confused as to what would be an acceptable reply. Somehow she had the feeling that throwing her heed back and laughing would not be an acceptable response. Luckily, he rescued her by changing the topic to punch.

"Yes, thank you," she said accepting the cup of fruity punch. "I don't know but I suspect the Sorting Compass is being unleashed on as unawares. No doubt by the end of the night, they will read out a list telling us which house we're sorted in." The punch was wonderful and had a hint of spice, warming her up even more and making her eyes shine with happiness.

[Guest]

He had not missed the fact she had almost laughed at what he had said to her. It hurt deep down, but he only hoped that it would have been a nervous laugh, rather than a laugh at him.

"So what do you think they base it all on? Courage, Brains, Braun, Friendliness? Or do you think its based on who we socialise with tonight?"

Alys had a power over him like no other, and he knew that already, he just couldn't explain why. He took her hand once more, leading her to a table so they could just sit and talk, seeing as she hated dancing, and his feet already hurt enough to last him the rest of the year.

"I hope we get put in the same house, Alys."

Where had that come from? Was her power to make a man incapable of speech, but she couldn't be Veela, he knew what they were. She was pretty enough, granted, but he knew that it most certainly couldn't be the case, could it?

[Guest]

"So what do you think they base it all on? Courage, Brains, Braun, Friendliness? Or do you think its based on who we socialise with tonight?"

Alys had to think on that one before answering so she simply let herself be pulled to a table. Finally, she decided to go against her own rule and say what her parents would have. And if it made her seem boring or whatever, well, Tarragon would just have to deal with it. Maybe his confidence was rubbing off on her?

"You see, my parents always see that division should not happen," she began cautiously. "How can you tell if a person is brave or a coward? Smart or slow? Loyal or not? How can someone tell that at age eleven when we don't know ourselves. If tomorrow I end up in the house of Intellect, I would think it a great joke. Would I know more about lessons and flying by simply being sorted in a house?" The blonde took a breath before continuing. "Papa says that by sorting students anywhere based on personality traits, the school "limits our potential" and that this is something our teachers should consider."

The girl looked down, hoping she hadn't bored him too much. "As for the house we end up in, it won't matter because we will still have all the same classes I think."

[Guest]

Tarragon watched once more as Alys resisted meeting his eyes after answering him. Was she afraid that he wouldn't like her for what she believed in.

"I can understand the point. But don't you think it makes up better foundations for friendships that we enter throughout school life? Living in the same dormotries and the like?"

He contemplated her for a moment, slightly tilting his head in her direction.

"Alys, tell me more about your parents, what are they like? What other interesting ideas have they put in your young mind?" He finished the sentance with a slight smile, nothing to condone what she had just said. He wanted her to feel at ease around him, so he would listen to everything she had to say about her parents.

[Guest]

His interest took the witch by genuine surprise. "Actually, what I meant was, by dividing us into houses, the education system encourages rivalries, differences and discord in general. For example, how can we decide which house is the "best" house when there is no such thing. But because a house cultivates a certain image and notions associated with it, they start to feel they're better than the other three houses. That house becomes the "popular" one, the one everyone wants to get into. And that causes problems." And now she was definitely quoting her Papa. The girl tried to find an easier way to explain.

"Like imagine for an example, would it be so bad if there weren't four houses but just one big one? We would all have the same identity of Durmstrang students and no pointless superiority contests. We could all be united, not have to be labeled clever or brave or anything like that and we could still have the same foundation for our relationships like sharing dorms and such - only on a bigger scale."

Further surprising her, he asked of her parents but in that line, only one word really registered.

"Young! Excuse me, Mr. I'm so grown up and cool but you're exactly the same age as I am," she huffed,

[Avangeline King]

Ava had been watching her two new friends silently during the night, holding in her giggles at certain points like when she accidentally stepped on his feet. However the discussion of houses pulled her into the conversation, she hoped they wouldn't mind the interruption.

"I don't think the house system is bad. Competition can be a good thing if it is encouraged in the right way. The more one house competes with the other, the more the students push themselves. We are probably going to be sorted by what defines us in some way, either because we have lived it, or are likely to cause it. Father told me what the four houses are supposed to represent, do you want me to tell you?" Ava tried to explain, but didn't want to give away the house secrets until the big unveiling, unless they asked of course.

She would know about competition, just thinking of the things her Step-Mother pulled over the years could make her shudder.

[Guest]

Alys smiled brightly when Ava came over to join them, making her realize that she had been listening.

"Well, I can understand there are different point of views, its one of the reasons I'm interested in psychology. Two people can interpret the same event completely differently so I guess its not a stretch to see how two people can disagree about the housing system," Alys noted, a thoughtful expression on her face.

A minute later, her expression turned concerned instead. "Wait, if you're here, where's Kai? She hasn't managed to find her way into the black forest has she?"

[Avangeline King]

Ava nodded thoughtfully to Alys' comments on the houses, but couldn't help the rueful smile that broke out when Alys mentioned Kai. She stepped closer and whispered in Alys' ear "You may want to take a quick peak at the buffet table." Ava explained making a small gesture with her head to where a table sat with punch and snacks.

Kai was currently sneaking up on a plate of food, looking like a cute little ball of fuzz, but Ava knew havok was about to break loose. "I warned you she was a fuzzy little demon." Ava reminded.

[Guest]

The blonde's jaw dropped when Ava whispered for her to look at the buffet table. Indeed, little Kai was there, looking for all the world like a miniature lion closing in on her prey - in this case a platter of fish sticks.

"Ava, we have to go get her," she whispered back to the owner of the kitten. Slowly, her gaze turned towards an adult heading straight for the table. If a teacher caught the kitten among the food, not only Kai but Ava might also get in trouble.

"Please excuse us, Tarragon, we have to make sure curiosity doesn't kill a cat this time," and with that, she took Ava's arm and headed for the buffet, no idea how to get the kitten out of there before anyone saw her.

[Avangeline King]

"Why sneak around, I just saw her?" Ava inquired curiously, before going over to the table, trying to keep herself in between Kai and the adult heading for the table. She wasn't worried about trouble of the instructor variety, but if Kai got even one of those fish sticks she would be incorrigible for weeks begging for scraps.

Scooping up the kitten before she could do anything more than sniff at the fish, she was left with a dilemma. "Do you think they would mind if I held onto her? I don't know where my dorm is at, and if I put her down out here, she will just be back up on the table!" Though Alys' initial suggestion of getting into the Black forest wasn't far from Ava's mind. She wouldn't put it past the little trouble maker to find that place the first chance she got.

For the moment Ava put Kai up on her shoulder, glad she had worn a dress with sleeves, the fabric gave the kitten something to hold onto.

[Guest]

Well, that simplified matters a lot, Ava simply picking the kitten off the table in one smooth move before an adult saw her. Alys supposed Ava must be used to getting her kitten out of these sort of situations and was pretty good at dealing with them by now.

"Hmm, well, I don't know if they'll mind but they'll just have to make an acceptation so long as she isn't bothering anyone. " The witch looked at Kai perched on Ava's shoulder, the picture of an angel. "And lets face it, looking at her, no one would think she was trouble." Alys giggled at that, she could tell the kitten would be an inexhaustible source of entertainment and trouble throughout the whole year.

[Avangeline King]

Ava grinned broadly. "The perfect demon is the one disguised as an angel."

"I wonder when they are going to get around to sorting us? We are making friends all over the place, what if we are in different houses? Oh well, maybe that's why they have this ball. If we are already friends than different houses shouldn't change that right?" Ava was hopeful about that one. She had the feel from the way they talked they could get along well, but Alys and her would probably not be in the same house.

[Guest]

"Of course we'll still be friends, and even if we are in different houses, we're still in the same year so we'll have all our classes together. I bet we'll get sick of looking at each other by the time this year is over," Alys joked to dispel any fears the other girl might have. Alys may not have known Ava all that well but she knew enough to realize that the girl had grown up without a proper friend and as her Mama always said "that just won't do".

"I know I'm going to be popping by whichever house you get into to see how you're doing. And will be constantly bugging you for tips in class," she said. "And who knows, Kai might even find her way to me and you'll have to come looking."

[Avangeline King]

A happy smile made its way across Ava's face, "Yes! That was just the answer I was hoping for. I was afraid if we got into different houses you wouldn't talk to me anymore."

Thought Ava couldn't help but tease, "I would be even more concerned if you and Tarragon ended up in the same house, but I wasn't."


"Just so you know, I wouldn't stop talking to you either. Even if our houses were rivals, we are not and don't have to be." Ava wanted to make that clear, since her tease about the blonde boy may have been taken seriously.

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