The Hogwarts Ball (Open to all Hogwarts Professors and Students)

Sam blushed slightly " No you look way better than I do" Sam said honestly he was the most handsome guy here when he extended his hand to her she smiled at him.

" Yes, I'd love to dance with you" Sam said she looked back at her new friends and she smiled an apologetic smile at them and she noticed Airen was there she smiled at him than turned back at Eric and she walked toward the dance floor " Sorry if I have two left feet" Sam added smiling at him.

Lolly rushed down from the kitchens, and more specifically, her room. She made it to the ball just after Briony had finished speaking, and calmed herself before walking in. All the students were so pretty in their outfits, it was a stunning sight, especially with the way the hall was decorated.

Grinning, Lolly made her way over to Briony. "Hello!" she said. Lolly was too full of entertainment to be affected by the emotions of everyone else here.

Jaycie grinned at Haley, feeling a blush creeping into her cheek. "Not as amazingly beautiful as you. Haley, you always seem to look pretty!" All thoughts of her shyness were wiped out with the prospect that this ball was going to be super duper awesome fun.

Jaycie gave her green-clad friend a hug, and then someone entering the hall caught her eye. "Hey, Alcy, isn't that Anne? Why does she look so upset?" Jaycie desperately wanted to go see her. Anne was nice to her, and she couldn't help but return the favour.

She smiled, "Thank you! I love your dress. It really suits you."

Keiba laughed at Haley. She always was that spastic friend of hers. "Calm, Haley, calm," she said with a grin. She looked over her shoulder to see where Charlotte was going, and then Haley shot past her as well. Keiba blinked a few times. Well then, she thought to herself, I'll just stay here and wait till they get back.

It wasn't long till Char and Haley came back, a Gryffindor Second year in tow. Keiba grinned. "I'm Keiba, it's nice to meet you Sam." Then a boy came up behind Sam, and Keiba's smile widened, turning back to Haley and the rest, she jokingly sighed, "Ah, young love," and laughed.

Parker was walking up the stairs from the dungeons after dropping his trunk off in the room. Even if he had wanted to go back home, there was no way his parents would take an unnecessary trip and spend money they didn't have. He was glad though, he'd not have to deal with the weird way those boys on his street had been acting. After the fight he got in with the boys involving Kasey, things just got weird. He would try to ignore them, and they would seemingly ignore him. Though when they knew he'd be leaving soon they started bothering him again as if they were testing him and he got pulled into another fight with them.

He sighed, his face sore still from the healing, and almost not visible, black eye he had. He had thought of trying a very basic glamour charm but it hardly held for 5 minutes at a time and thought Pyxis would get more mad that he tried to hide it. She'd be mad enough that he didn't tell her anything that was really bothering him that summer.

He looked down at his outfit as he walked, pursing his lips a bit. He didn't know if it was any good. Certainly the best he could find as the cheap prices. He'd grown out of his old one so his mother had gotten him something a little big so he could wear it for a few other times then just once. He looked ahead again and sighed as he came to the entrance of the Great Hall and looked around, standing there. He let out his breath, taking in how great it looked, but also feeling a slight panic about the events at the end of first year. He could nearly hear and see it now. He swallowed and looked down, blinking to try to clear his head. He was in third year now, he made it through that, and second year, and everything between...everything was going to be fine, he thought as he looked up and around again, seeing his friends.

Eva smiled at the girl and gave up on trying to get her to dance. She spotted Parker and skipped over to him. She liked him, and she had yet to see anyone else she knew other than Anne and Sam. Sam was off dancing and Anne was struggling.

"Hey Parker have a nice summer. I had a great one other than losing my hair it was so much fun. Oh yea I never got to tell you but yeah whatever I'll tell you later. You might want to talk to Anne, she is really struggling. The Poor girl." Eva said fast though her faced changed from her usual happy to sad when she talked about Anne.

"Well have fun you look nice by the way." She said as she walked away. She had had a lot of sugar before having been able to eat for once.

Eric smiled. He really didn't care how she danced he just wanted to have fun with her. So far he was succeeding. "Well lets just say we both look great." He smiled.

Eric beamed and let her to the dance floor. He loved dancing but it wasn't his thing. He was more of an art and cooking guy. Honestly he wondered where it had come from. He assumed his mother. His father couldn't do anything other than stick figures.

"So how was your summer?" He asked carefully. He knew that she lived with adopted parents. She also knew that they weren't great. She hoped they treated her right.

Sam sighed " Erm, I am no longer living with them" Sam said sadly she walked to the dance floor and she smiled at Eric.

" But overall my summer was okay" Sam said she smiled, she bummed and swayed to the music and she closed her eye's but she opened them again " How was your summer?" she added kindly.

Eric sighed. "I'm sorry. I had no clue." He said sadly. He really wished he didn't bring it up now. He hated making her feel bad.

"Well my summer was great. I went back home saw my grandma, spent the whole summer with my old friends. They're all muggles of course. I drew lots and I got to have fun. I'll have to take you one time. It's a bit boring but I think you'd like it." He said. He couldn't help but smile. He really loved it there.

Sam looked at him and smiled " It's fine don't worry about it" she said smiling at him she grabbed his hand and smiled.

" I'm glad you had a good summer, I also want to see those drawings" Sam said smiling at Eric than she nodded " I'd love to go sometime" she added smiling at him she hummed as the music played.

Parker looked over with furrowed eyebrows, to...Eva, was it? He was a bit startled by her skipping over to him out of nowhwhere.

He tried to listen to her but her rambling was fast and disjointed it seemed. He couldn't keep up with whatever she was saying but was able to catch that she had a good summer, that Anne was sad or something, and he apparently looked nice.

"Oh, er, I'm okay....thank you?" he said weakly, giving her a small wave as she sprung around on her heel and hyperly made her way. Parker felt a bit confused.

Eric smiled and looked around as the song ended. "I'll show you sometime. We'll have to meet up." He said to her. "I'll talk to my dad he's always on about me bring friends. My grandma's house is big. So you could have your own room." He said hopping that she would be able to come next summer.

Eric looked over at everyone here and smiled at the people he knew. His eyes landed on the boy with a confused expression on his face. "You know who that is?" He asked making his way over there with his hand still holding hers.

"You okay? You must have been talking to Eva. She talks fast." He laughed then held out his hand. "Eric Laterman, Hufflepuff second year. How bout you eh?" He asked and mentally cursed himself for doing the Canadian stereotype.

Eric knew that Sam might be a bit peeved but he seem lost and confused, he felt the need to help. He could really understand Eva so, he might be of some help. He recalled running into her this summer. They had talked for a while mainly about Sam.

Sam nodded " Yeah that's Parker" Sam said when they started walking she smiled when she noticed Sam's hand was still in Eric's she blushed slightly.

" Hey Parker, how was your summer?" She asked him kindly she glanced at Eric and smiled she didn't know what to do with, she smiled at Parker " Oh, and I did what you said I should take more bike rides that got my off of my 'Parents' fighting" She added trying to break any tension if there was any.

Parker was looking around, about ready to walk over to his friends when some boy walked over and started talking to him. He saw Sam with with him and turned to them.

"Oh. uhm yeah..." he still felt a bit disoriented. he wanted to just sit down. He smiled a bit at Sam, then noticed them holding hands. Why was everyone so paired off already..?

He looked back to Eric the hufflepuff again when he introduced himself and nodded a little. "Ah, uhm, I'm Parker Emery...3rd year Slytherin." he muttered the end quietly. He looked away from them a bit, hoping they'd not see the slight discolouration around his eye. "I'm okay" He smiled a little bit. "That's great..."

Parker saw movement from the corner of his eye and he looked up, seeing a grinning and very happy looking Pyxis running at him. He smiled, thinking she was going to come to a stop when she neared him, but instead she had dropped her shoes which she had been holding and pounced on him.

He hugged her her back as she squeezed him. And he shut his eyes, laughing a bit as she squealed. "Tryin' to blow my ear drum out are you?" He joked. He smiled as she stepped back. "I missed you-" but his smile dropped a little when hers did.

He pulled away a little bit when she put her hand up to his eye. "I'm sorry...I'll tell you about it later...okay?" He sighed a little bit. "Let's not worry about it now. Just have fun." he said, not wanting to have to damper her mood.

He turned to Sam and Eric. "I'm sorry...it was nice meeting and talking with you. But..I'm going this way-" he said, a little more straightforward then he may have in the past as he motioned slightly to his friends where Pyxis had run in from. He gave Pyxis a small smile and bent down grabbing her shoes holding them for her to take so they could walk back. He laughed a little. "No clue how girls walk in these things." he said.

Sam looked at Pyxis and smiled than she nodded to Parker " No Problem, we were going to go dance I'll see you around Parker" Sam said waving at him as she walked toward the dance floor she let go of Eric's hand as they made it to the dance floor.

Sam smiled at her new friends whom were talking to themselves she sighed and she swayed slightly to the music with her eye's closed.

Parker smiled and laughed a little, so glad to have her, joking and all, back. "Oh, I don't know. I certainly know I want mine blown out." he joked back in a sarcastic tone. He had no clue why girls always had to squeal, but he supposed he'd get used to it. Just the way they got excited, he guessed.

Parker took a break and smiled back at her as she accepted that he'd explain later. He wished all things could just move by so easily all the time. He smiled as she took the shoes and proceeded to explain how awesome they were. "Oh, of course, that just must be it. I just know I'd break my ankles if I even thought of trying it. Not to mention thinking of walking as fast as me mum does in them."

He grabbed onto her hand back as he was tugged towards their friends. "Owls certainly aren't enough" he mused. He looked down at himself when she said she liked it. "Oh...thank you. I don't really remember the other one even." He smiled at her, "I like your dress."

Anne sighed and thought about just leaving and going to sleep. No one was talking to her. No one really had a reason to. She saw Parker and thought about talking to him, but then Pyxis walked over to him. She shook her head and walked off to the drinks table. She poured herself a glass of punch and wondered if she could sneak some fire whiskey. If no one was going to talk to her she might need it.

Anne had yet to speak to anyone. She didn't like talking much any more. She smiled slightly at Eva. She was proud of her, she was still fighting and always so happy. She had no clue how that girl did it.

The Great Hall looked beautiful. Tess noticed this as she entered it, the decorations were flawless as always, the mood was bright with talkative people and she entered quietly. She was nervous, this time around she was going to be different she told herself repeatedly.

She noticed a few familiar faces and smiled at them kindly. She pushed her hair away from her face and smiled as she saw an empty table. She didn't want to impose on anyone and she hoped some of her best mates would arrive soon. She looked around for Victoria or Xander wondering if they were coming. She hadn't seen them since summer and even then she missed them very much. She remembered clearly that this ball brought her best friend and her together and she knew that this time around it wasn't going to end badly.

Sitting down, she people watched as she often did not being too much of a social butterfly, but was glad others were socializing.

Ever since Salina had discovered that Corinne no longer remembered her, she'd been heart-broken. She'd looked her beloved twin right in the eye and been astounded over the fact that she didn't smile, wave or even greet her with a simple, 'Hey Salina'. She'd just looked at her, confused for a moment and then continued on her merry way. Salina'd later found out that Corinne had lost her memory. She'd gone back to the manor with Jaqui, and Salina had gotten permission from her mother to visit her old family from time to time. Salina brushed her hair out of her face and waved her wand, performing a charm on her hair that she'd learnt at Uresla. Her hair twisted into a bun with braids leading either side of her head. She brushed down her dress and slipped her feet into her heels, before her eyes moved over to her bed where her trunk lay open. She walked over to it, shut the lid and sniffled.

But now, she had found out that Corinne was dead! She didn't want to go to some darned ball, she had no friends anymore - she didn't want friends. She didn't want people to look at her with that sympathetic look because her twin died. She hated that look, she was doing just fine without Corinne, well that was a lie. She missed her a lot more, and she was gone forever. It still hadn't really sunk in yet, that she'd never ever see Corinne again. Salina entered the Great Hall and moved straight to a chair, where she sat and watched everyone. She felt isolated from the group, as if she were watching from outside a glass wall.

Senium saw that there was a boy there, who seemed to be a first year just like her, and she smiled lightly, seeing that he was talking to her, she turned to face him properly and accepted his hand with her own, shaking it lightly, and smiling broadly, maybe she would make her first non-adult friend.

"Hello there! I'm Senium Nex. I'm very pleased to meet you Ash." she said in a happy tone "You're a first year like me? I'm glad to have met another one, I think the others may be hiding, or they haven't come to the ball, which is a little sad." she added.

Looking around the hall, she gestured to the decorations; "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Charlotte smiled happily when it came to cheering people up, Haley was one of the best and she was glad that she had decided to come with her, after all, hopefully Sam would feel more welcome when it came to coming back over to the group, things always seemed to get hectic when it came to balls and socialising.

Grinning she moved back into the hall and was glad to see that Airen was coming her way and he wrapped his arm around her, she couldn't help but think how handsome he was, and about how much she had missed him over the past few months, they hadn't hung out a lot after all, but that seemed to be the way when it came to the holidays.

"Oh Airen you look so handsome!" she grinned "Oh please don't worry about it, I was just helping out Sam, I'm glad you're coming, I didn't know if you would be here." she blushed.