Valentine's Party!

[WILLIAM CHARLES GOYLE]

William did not like the thought of going to a valentine's party in the slightest but he'd heard that Tatiana was going and this was a chance to ask her for a dance and maybe an official date. He'd barely seen her since New Years when he'd attended her New years party with Medusa and that had gone horridly in the eyes of all involved, apart from Medusa's and William's that was. She'd refused his proposal and he couldn't have been happier. Of course his mother had fainted and Medusa's father had been furious but it actually made William like the girl a bit more, kind of like when they were younger and friends.

William shrugged of all thoughts and feelings about the party and made his way up. He managed to avoid a couple of students and professors here and there and got in without a fuss. The room was starting to get busy from the looks of it and so he just slid on in without being noticed, or so he hoped.

Walking about William looked for Tatiana. He missed gazing at her and had a feeling that she had been avoiding him. He'd not had chance to explain that he'd had to propose to Medusa, it probably made the kisses they shared before Christmas seem meaningless but they weren't, they were his first true kisses with the one person in the world he truly had feelings for.

Spotting Medusa he gave a nod in her direction as a greeting before he carried on looking for Tatiana. Medusa had done him a huge favour in rejecting his proposal. She'd done what he hadn't the guts to do himself and call the whole thing off. He owed her big time.

[JONATHAN JAMES TOWNSEND]

Josh sauntered onto the dance floor to Paris, leaving Johnny alone for a minute. He took the opportunity to enjoy his drink and people watch, wondering how many would turn up tonight. He hoped the party would be a huge success, but even if the room was only half full, it'd still be fun. He would make sure of it, Johnny was nothing if not a great host. His parents had taught him well. The pretty blonde head of Winter Rayne approached the tables and she smiled at him, all tanned and glorious. Johnny grinned back, offering a small wave before another Hufflepuff stole his attention. Neve Taylor was a good friend, and he hugged her back tightly, handing her a drink and complimenting her on her dress, which showed off those gorgeous legs of hers.

After a bit of small talk, she left to mingle, and Johnny was alone again. Funny that. How the host usually ended up being abandoned at his own party. Johnny didn't mind, so long as everyone was having a good time, and he was soon approached by the stunning Zella Moon, who complimented his efforts and helped herself to a drink. "Thank you, Zel." Johnny had a thing for Zella. She was a year younger than him, and unfortunately, once he graduated he wouldn't see her as much, but he hoped they'd stay in touch. Her beautiful eyes stood out wonderfully in the white cloak she wore, and Johnny gave a gentle tug at it. "Do I get to see the rest?" his expression was cheeky, tone playful as he wondered what kind of outfit she had chosen for herself. He also began to wonder why nobody seemed to have dates for the night. Everyone was turning up solo, though he had heard a rumour that Zella had someone to go with. "You here alone?" His eyes roved the room, searching for a potential date she might have towed in behind her. He spotted no one good enough for his friend.

The arrival of Narcissus followed shortly by Killian, only pumped up the atmosphere as they both seemed to think they had arrived to start the party. To be fair, both guys were pretty much adored by a lot of the ladies, and knew how to have a good time, so Johnny wouldn't hold it against either of them for trying to steal his thunder. As if they could steal the thunder of someone so devilishly handsome, charming and intelligent. Well, that's what he told himself. It helped him to keep his temper in check. Tonight was to be fun, not annoying. And though he despised the actual existence of Narcissus, he wouldn't let it get to him. If the guy brought more fun to the party, then Johnny would leave him to it, the great prat. He turned back to Zella, and blocked the huge blonde idiot from his view.

[NEVE MELODIE TAYLOR]

Narcissus Aleksijevic was not someone Neve had expected to approach her, but she kept a smile on her face as he bowed deeply before her and showered her in compliments and an offer of a dance. Merlin, she had heard so many things about him, but she wasn't sure what to believe. They were the same year and house, but she had never really paid too much attention to him to figure out what he was all about. Which meant that the grin spreading across her cheeks was quite genuine. She was flattered. There was no denying it. But anyone could learn how to charm a girl like that, and in such a dramatic way, he had to have a bit of an ego on him. Neve wasn't a fan of really arrogant boys, but she owed Narcissus a chance, at least.

"Thank you, Narcissus," she blushed, curtsying to him to play along with his gentlemanly act. "You might just," she admitted, glancing about to make sure no one was watching her. She'd never live it down if one of her friends saw her dancing with a guy like Narcissus. Neve was no sheep though, she would decide for herself whether he was a toad or not, no matter what her friends thought of him. And a dance wouldn't harm anyone. Or so she thought. "Lead the way!" She nodded toward the glittering dance floor, actually quite eager to test the sparkles out under her own feet, it would have made a great photo opportunity, but she had left her camera in her purse under the table, so there was no going back for it now.

She let the tall blonde hunk lead her on to the dance floor, a little apprehensive about what might happen next. She had no idea what to expect from him! It was exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time, and she had visions of Molly and Carson telling her to be careful or just turn him down. Especially Molly. Molly would have hexed him from ten feet away, just in case he was a creep. And here was Neve holding his hand and grinning happily. Her shoes were soon sparkling away as she walked across the dance floor, shoulders shaking to the beat. She did love to dance. She could only hope that Narcissus wasn't really embarrassing. Or even worse, what if he had two left feet!? How mortifying would that be! Chewing on her lip, she tried not to hold her breath with anticipation.

[ZELLA HARRIET MOON]

Zella watched the room fill up. Her date was no where to be seen but it didn't bother her, it wasn't as if she needed a date in order to have a good time and besides, she'd only been there thirty seconds, the sooner she forgot about whatever the hell his name was, the sooner she'd have some proper fun and when he turned up, she'd be ready to start their date, though she never really thought a party situation was ever a good first date, it was more the boyfriend girlfriend scene in her opinion.

Zella really did like the room, it was better than anything she could have thought up but then again she wasn't exactly the overly creative type when it came to room designs. If she'd been doing this there'd probably just be a floor space to dance on, some fairy lights and probably some party pies and mini sausage rolls. She wasn't born to be a hostess, that was for sure.

When Johnny tugged a little at her cloak and asked about her outfit choice for the night she put on a fake confused look, just to mess around a little. "The rest? What are you talking about, Johnny, this is it. Nothing else underneath but my boots and wand." she teased with a sly smile and took a sip of the very alcoholic purple drink and thought hard at what her dates name might be.

"No, sadly I have a date for the evening. At least I think I do, I'm not totally sure if it was a real asking so figured I'd come to the dance and see if this guy shows up." she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Either with a date or without a date, it didn't matter tonight, she had friends here she could spend time with if she was stood up. "What about you? Surely you have some pretty little thing that should be hanging off your arm, begging to become Mrs Johnny Townsend." It was no secret that Johnny was a gorgeous guy, girls absolutely loved his dark hair and light eyes and it was surprising he didn't have a crowd of girls stalking him.

Zella took another mouthful of her drink and watched as Narcissus lead Neve out onto the dance floor. Had she missed something here? Ah well, at least the night would be interesting as it unfolded. Narcissus looked as though he was acting like a gentleman and Killian was bouncing about all over the place, finally settling upon two girls Zella knew from her year. Well there was clearly one thing to admit, the school was not lacking in handsome guys.

[NARCISSUS AMERALD ALEKSIJEVIC]

Well of course it was no surprise when Neve took his hand. He was an incredibly handsome guy and clearly she wanted to be seen with the best and there was no one better than he, the looks he was getting from everyone around confirmed that, though the truth was there may not have been anyone looking at him at all, he always just presumed that there would be because of his unbelievable good looks. He was like a God amongst these mere mortals.

"You know, Neve," Narcissus started as the reached the dance floor, sparks at their feet and he spun about to hold Never close to him. "We've never really gotten to know one another" Narcissus had been taught to dance properly from a young age by his mortal grandmother though being half-veela it wasn't necessary, dancing only came naturally to him. "Doesn't that seem a little preposterous?" He asked but before she could respond he spun her about and the pulled her close to him again. "Seven years and we barely know one another." Narcissus put some distance between himself and Neve and spun about and then took Neve's hand once more, "So tell me, what do you like, Neve?"

Narcissus waited for Neve to make the next move, to twirl into him and tell him something about her, he was out stretched a little in a very tango pose. The tango was his dance, it was full of emotion and passion and personal and that was what he liked about romance and wooing a girl. Girls that were easy were not his type, he liked someone he could connect with, even if for a moment, though it wouldn't mean they were meant to be forever but it gave a good dynamic to the very temporary relationship. In the brief moment he was left waiting he had to wonder, would she go along with him and his dance, or would he be too good for her and she walk off, embarrassed that she could not preserver to his dancing.

[TATIANA NADJA GOYLE]

New Year had been something of a disaster for Tatiana. She herself had more dancing partners than she could keep up with and for her father's happiness had mentioned once or twice the names of one or two of those partners that would make suitable husbands. Although out of how many had turned up just one or two names was really quite disappointing and what had been even more so was having to watch her own crush dance with someone else, even if that someone was a girl Ana happened to quite like. Meddy was lucky to have had a suitor like William although everyone could see how much the two despised each other! And like everyone Ana had been just as surprised when William had proposed to the Hufflepuff female. Proposed! Never had she felt more like a fool. The kisses they had shared before the holidays had suddenly seemed like nothing and even Medusa turning him down had not gotten rid of those feelings.

Truth be told she had been avoiding William like the plague ever since they had returned to Hogwarts, not because she did not want to see him because she truly did but because she had thought it disrespectful to approach him so soon after such a public display. Was there even a decent period of time before she could put herself forward as a candidate for his affections? She didn't even know! What was the etiquette for this sort of thing?

Sighing she hurried down from the Gryffindor tower and made her way to the Valentines party she had been invited to, wishing she had brought a jacket or robe with her since it was starting to get incredibly chilly now...many of her other housemates had left for the thing some time ago so she was running late. Well, 'late' was technically right but she was a Rusakov! No one would dare accuse her of being such a thing! She was fashionably late if anything but she was still cold and having to keep hiding behind the long tapestries delayed her getting to the room that would soon have her warmed up was really quite annoying. So it was with great relief that she finally arrived at the room of requirement.

Entering the room she wasn't surprised at all to find the room quite full and as she closed the door behind her she gave a small smile to one or two of those she actually knew, before heading quickly to the dance floor, smiling lightly to herself as sparks danced about her feet as she stepped onto it and for a brief second stared down as she walked a few steps further onto it, looking up only when she nearly walked into someone. That someone being Narcissus who lets face it was someone who was used to people walking into them. Catching sight of William out of the corner of her eye she faltered a little before turning back to the blonde before her. With a small smile she lightly touched his shoulder as she went past, "Apologies," She apologised softly, speaking loud enough to just be heard over the music. "I was not looking where I was going. Hey Neve." She threw a smile at the girl who was dancing with him before heading over to the table with all of the drinks on.

Picking up a drink she ran her eyes over the crowd of people, recognising many from her own year but only a few from her house. Many of the people here she did not know at all and struggled to find any names to match with their faces. Medusa looked lovely as always and she couldn't help but wonder if anything would happen between the other girl and William although from what she understood the Hufflepuff had a boyfriend now. William himself had vanished from her line of sight and it was with a somewhat disappointed frown that she took a sip from her drink.

Perhaps someone would ask her to dance? Never before had she ever attended a party where she was not but there was always a first time for everthing. She hoped this would not be it....She did love dancing afterall.

[BAILEY RAE DILLON]

Why was he doing this?

This was quite possibly the worst idea he had ever had and Bailey Rae Dillon was the first person to put his hand up in the air and admit that there had been many many bad ideas in his life. Going to a party was always going to be an embarrassing experience and since this was for Valentines it was even worse! Bailey had never been good with social things like this and wouldn't be surprised at all if he tripped over his own feet. His sisters were much better at this sort of thing although of course they wouldn't know about this party if he could help it...It was bad enough he was head boy. He could just see some people being iffy with him just because of that fact but hey he was human and he enjoyed being like everyone else.

Grimacing at himself in the mirror he fixed his tie[/color before deciding it was as good as it was going to get and wished that his hair would behave itself for once before leaving his dorm room and making his way out of the common room.

It was easy enough to make his way through the castle without being stopped since it was an easy matter to pretend like he was just doing his rounds and since he was dressed rather like he would at any other time (barring the fact he was wearing colours to represent the holiday) it was easy enough to fool any professors he came across into thinking nothing was going on.....It was probably a good thing Brekke wasn't on duty because that woman just knew when he was up to something! There was no way she would have let him past without getting him to blurt out every secret he knew before letting him on his way and that was definitely something that would cause people to dislike him more than some did already.

Entering the party he gave another grimace, running his hand through his hair nervously, eyes darting about the room trying to find someone he knew well enough to talk to without looking like a complete goof. Which was harder that it sounded since everyone here seemed to be either the wrong year to him or otherwise people he had never really spoken to before.

So it was with a relieved look that he spotted Killian near Medusa and Winter and quickly made his way over. "Dude!" He announced himself, slipping around some girls from one of the lower years, nearly stumbling as he did so (although just managing to catch himself before making a complete fool of himself so soon) and grabbed a drink from the table, "Why did I think this was a good idea?" He demanded, knocking said drink back in a massive gulp, his nerves getting the better of him before making a small 'gah!' sound as it burned on the way down. Damn the drinks were a little stronger than he had expected! Pulling a face he took a slower sip of his drink, not really bothered by the fact there was alcohol although he wished he had thought about it before drinking it like he had.

"There are girls," He added in a conspiratorial whisper. Anyone who knew Bailey well enough would know that the mere thought of trying to talk and act cool around the female sex was practically impossible...so dancing with them was seriously not going to happen whilst sober.

[NEVE MELODIE TAYLOR]

Her smile stayed in place as he began to make small talk, if you could call it that, and pulled her in close to him. "Hmm?" she tilted her head up, chocolate eyes glued to his face and lips so she didn't miss a word as she danced along, quite pleased that he seemed to have rhythm and some sort of training, too! Well, he was one of those Purebloods from a great, historical family or something. Or so she'd heard. It made sense he would have been taught to dance properly. She felt like she was doing a tango, until he let her go and spun around flamboyantly. She waited until she was in his arms again before responding to his slightly dramatic phrasing. "Well, preposterous is a strong word, but yes," she nodded,dimples appearing in her cheeks as she started to get a grip on just what kind of showy personality he really was. "It's terrible."

Her feet moved quickly, trying to keep up and ensure than she didn't stumble and make a fool of herself. It was hard enough in heels to walk, let alone dance properly, with technique and all that fancy stuff. Neve didn't have technique! She just went with the flow, usually, and most of the time in flat, comfortable shoes. She had worn the ones currently adorning her feet every night for two weeks, trying to break them in and make them comfy enough to spend a whole night in, so it wasn't as bad as it should have been. "Seven whole years, and hardly a word," she agreed, shaking her head sadly and taking a small step back as he let go again and did another spin before reaching for her hand and asking what she liked.

Neve grinned and spun into him, pausing with her back pressed up against his chest as her eyes found his, playful and mysterious. "Well, I like pretty things," she told him, it was mildly true, but she didn't want to get into her favourite things in the world with Narcissus, besides, her comment was meant to play with him a little, since everything about her insinuated she was referring to Narcissus, himself. This was getting fun. "Annnd, I like taking pictures." That one was a simple enough revelation, nothing to serious there. "And music, and dancing. I like to keep fit." After rocking for a while in position, she spun back out away from him, hips swaying as she moved closer again, close enough for him to hear her still. "My body is in its prime," she raised her hands above her head, eyes still on Narcissus. "If I didn't look after it, it wouldn't look nearly as good in this dress." Giving a half spin, she bumped her hip against his with a smirk. "What do you like, Narcissus?" It was a shame nobody really associated flirting with Neve, because when she was feeling playful, she was really quite good at it. It was a great opportunity for her wit to come out and play. A bump from behind caused Narcissus to move closer, and Neve glanced around his broad shoulder in time to hear Tatiana Rusakov apologize. She giggled and waved to the girl in greeting, hoping her dance partner wouldn't be annoyed at the interruption. If he was, Neve would be leaving the floor in the blink of an eye.

[TRISTAN JULIEN LEROUX]

The room of requirement was bursting when Tristan arrived. He wore a simple black shirt and pants, and looked quite respectable to the outside eye. No one would expect a devil may care attitude to lay behind that serious gaze, though it did. And Tristan had no intentions of looking so respectable at the end of the night, or he would consider the party a huge failure. He would be leaving in a state no less than shocking, and nothing short of it would do. Ripped shirt and pants, singed hair, cuts and bruised were all expectations of the evening, and he had come mentally prepared for it all. It was what always happened when he let loose. A boy couldn't be so hard working and ambitious without letting off stream in the correct way. In Tristan's case, the correct way was usually reckless and even scary at times.

He crossed thr room, music thudding under the soles of his feet, vibrating through his whole body, and chose to bypass the drinks table. There was a large crowd around it, and he didn't fancy getting annoyed before he had even said a word to anyone. Instead, he picked up a small chocolate chip muffin which made his tastebuds go wild just from one look, and popped it in his mouth whole, golden gaze falling upon a friendly face as he did so. Veronikeia Dolohov sat alone amongst the noise and bodies, and Tristan felt a harsh tug at his heartstrings. She would not be alone for long. Even if she had not been a friend, he would have gone to her and made sure she had a good night. There was nothing like rescuing an underdog and fighting for the losing team to make Tristan jump into action. It was one of his greatest weaknesses, and a strength, his kindness on display for all to see, albeit in a feisty way that got people's backs up.

"What's in that?" he asked, stopping at her table and nodding to Ronni's cup as he licked the muffin remains from his long fingers. His query was both innocent and shrewd. Tristan was not naive, he did not expect the cup to be filled with pumpkin juice, or fruit punch. He wondered if Ronni had even touched it, or if having it next to her was an act of politeness. Tristan sat in the seat beside her, eyes dropping down to her dress as he did so. "You look lovely," he told her, changing his focus to the room at large. He was sure a lot of guys would be throwing compliments around like nobody's business tonight, seedy and untoward, but Tristan's words were casual. Genuine, but far from lecherous. She looked good. She always looked good to him. It was no new thing, but manners were everything when it came to those who deserved them. Scoundrel as he could be, he had been raised to be polite.

[NARCISSUS AMERALD ALEKSIJEVIC]

Narcissus was pleased to have Neve dancing with him, she seemed a little slow and so he kept his pace to a reasonable speed, he didn't want to spin her out of control or have her sprain her ankle, she was far too delicate a beauty to break with a dance.

Neve spun into him and there was no surprise, who could resist such a supreme being? Narcissus was handsome, well spoken and every girls dream, he knew many of them wished to marry him once they'd finished school but that was not what Narcissus was interested in, he was going to become a model, and who could blame him? He was handsome and needed to make a living off of it the second he could, he just needed to get school out of the way first.

With his left hand already holding hers he slipped his right about her to, holding her in place after she spun into him, pressing her back up against his chest. Neve's answers about what she liked made Narcissus burst with joy on the inside. She liked pretty things and photography, well what did you know! He was a pretty thing and loved to be photographed. This almost seemed like a match made in heaven.

Narcissus swayed with Neve until she spun away, he read her body language so easily and it was clear that she was a pretty good dancer and she certainly had the body of a dancer and that dress did look amazing on her. So many thoughts ran through Narcissus' head as he barely danced on the spot as he watched Neve get closer and closer, for once he did not want the spotlight, it clearly belonged to the beautiful brunette that was swaying her hips seductively towards him.

Her hip bumped with his and there was only one thought on his mind as to what he liked, at least at the moment but then there was another bump, from behind and Narcissus staggered one little step forward, closer to Neve. He took a hold of her to balance himself and smiled, looking into her deep brown eyes before he turned his attention to the bumper with her hand on his shoulder. He smiled and nodded his head, how could a small bump like that have possibly been a bad thing? It was true he quite liked his personal space but he was knocked slightly into a beautiful girl and then touched on the arm by another. Tatiana was going to blow some minds tonight and Narcissus gave her a small wink to signify there were no hard feelings.

"I was thinking that I might get myself a drink. Would you care to join me before I head back out on the floor, you could join me in a dance again if you think you could keep up?" He asked with a suggestive look, a drink and a chat could be good, though of course she was a dancer and she'd probably enjoy a good spin about the dance floor but a little drink to loosen them up wouldn't be a harm now would it?

[WILLIAM CHARLES GOYLE]

William searched the room and saw nothing, at least nothing of interest. There were plenty of people but not the person he wanted to see. Tatiana seemed not to be coming and every second felt like a minute to William. He was anxious, he wanted to see her again, he wanted to explain about the proposal, she had to be mad at him for that, he couldn't blame her but what else was he to do? Throw away his inheritance? Well maybe, he'd thought about it and Tatiana was worth it but did she feel the way he felt?

It seemed like hours had assed but it had probably only been ten, fifteen minutes at most when he finally spotted her. She looked incredible, she walked into the room and everything seemed to slow down, she was walking in slow motion and he had the chance to look her over. He almost fainted. His breath was gone and he felt as though he could have fallen back. She was amazing, she was just head to toe perfection, that colour was just amazing on her, he just had to tell her.

William started walking, following Tatiana but soon stopped when he realised what he was doing. He veered off his path a little and turned his head to watch Tatiana. He accidentally bumped into someone and offered a mumbling apology. He turned and backed away into a free bit of wall to see Tatiana bump into Narcissus, an arrogant son of a ... well it didn't matter but William wasn't dumb, he noticed her hand linger upon his arm and her smile. Rage started building up inside of him, he hated the thought of her being close to anyone, especially that moron.

William took a deep breath and calmed himself down, he was reading far too much into a slight bump, she'd only held onto that moronic nincompoop to regain her balance, no one could be interested in a giant oaf like Narcissus. Casually William observed Tatiana joining her friends. He wouldn't risk talking to her now, he wanted to catch her alone.

[VERONIKEIA IOLITE DOLOHOV]

Ronni stayed where she was as the room got busier and busier. She was happy observing people as they passed her by, a couple giving her a wave or a smile but most wanted little to do with her but she couldn't blame them, people were sceptical of change, or at least most were but there was one person that wasn't, the one that got the ball rolling and helped get all these changes in Ronni's life happening.

Purple eyes turned towards cocoa brown ones as a friendly face greeted her. Ronni smiled, she wouldn't be alone for the whole night it seemed and that cheered her up to no end, she'd go to bed happy tonight, she was hanging out with a friend. A friend that was curious about what was in her cup. Ronni hadn't touched it, she wasn't overly trusting of Johnny, he didn't like her but she couldn't blame him. "I truly have no idea." She said, peering into it, hands in her lap.

Tristan was sweet enough to compliment her and it was good to hear. It was rare people had anything to say to her let alone anything nice and the great thing was that Tristan didn't oversell it, he always seemed so genuine. "Thank you, Tristan." Ronni smiled. "You look very handsome tonight." It was a slow process but Ronni was getting over her hatred and dislike of mudbloods, half-bloods and blood traitors, this year alone she'd made what she thought of as tremendous progress though she was sure others would disagree, would tell her that she just shouldn't be that way, that she should just not feel that way if she was a decent human being but it wasn't exactly easy to change 15 years of upbringing.

Years of her parents drumming into her mind that everyone but high class pure-bloods were muck kind of left you with a complex when you started socialising with them, at first it made her feel nauseous and then she had the reaction to pull away or slip snide comments into conversation but she didn't, she resisted, she slowly convinced her brain that what her parents had taught her was wrong, that they actually knew nothing about muggles and she had to learn but in secret. If her parents learnt that she had any desire to actually study muggle studies, they'd go absolutely mental. To them, Ronni was just rebelling a little and would calm down as soon as she had a husband though of course finding her a pure blooded husband wasn't going well since her change. Once prime wife material was now tainted with this supposed rebellion phase.

[MEDUSA LILLITH BLOODKISS]

Meddy had gotten through her first non spiked drink in only a few minutes as she waited for her boyfriend to turn up. Truth be told she was getting a little worried...Where was he? It wasn't like Cole to be late for any sort of party! Like herself he tended to gravitate to these sort of things and it had been rare even before they were dating for either of them to miss out on something like this. She couldn't help but wonder if it were her fault that he was not here. She had told him about the proposal at New Year and that she had turned William down loudly but she had yet to tell him about what her father had done once they were home. How could she tell him? It was over and done with now so he didn't need to worry about it happening again but she supposed he wouldn't see it that way....She would have to tell him. She didn't think she could bare not telling him the truth about anything. They were too close to keep anything important from one another.

Her somewhat worried thoughts were soon banished for the time being by Jonathon coming up to her with a grin on his face, quickly mirrored by one on her own by his words. "Like I need an excuse to party?" She stuck her tongue out at him slightly at his next comment, going a little red as she did so. "I hope so." She confessed, trying to ignore the grin he threw at her as he turned away. She hoped Cole liked her dress. Since she had confessed her feelings to him, telling him the truth about it she had started making more of an effort in her clothing choices. Not that she dressed badly of course but now she liked to make an effort for him.

Her next distraction came in the form of Winter who bounded over to her with a smile on her face. "Winter!" Meddy watched with wide eyes as her friend took off her jacket, revealing what could only be described as an incredibly sexy outfit. "Look at you! You sexy minx!" Leaning over she gave the other girl a quick hug, pulling away whilst shaking her head in the negative to the question she had been given. "Not yet, god knows where he has gotten to." She gave a small shrug, keeping the smile on her face, refusing to show that him not being here was bothering her greatly. She was his girlfriend not his jailer and she was sure there was a perfectly good reason why he had not yet arrived....Afterall, maybe he had thought her prefect duties would keep her busy a little longer than they had.

Turning her head slightly to look over her friend's shoulder her eyes roved over the now gathering crowd of students with interest. She knew many of them, some better than others. Seeing Narcissus arrive she gave him a small wave although she was unsure if he had noticed, so engrossed in Neve that he was. He was alright for the most part...Handsome of course and for some time she had hidden her crush for Cole behind one for Narcissus, believing it to be a better way to go about things. She had been so afraid of her feelings for Cole that she would have done anything to hide them away for a little longer...She was glad she had blurted it all out at christmas. She couldn't have kept the charade up much longer. Catching sight of William was nearly enough to put a scowl on her face although she managed somehow to keep the smile firmly fixed on her lips. He owed her big time for what she had done at the party but he would never know how much she had given for the price of their freedom from one another.

A kiss on her cheek had her rolling her eyes although she couldn't help but giggle as Killian pulled away from her, moving to Winter and she watched as his lips lingered slightly longer on her friend than they had on her and she gave him a sly grin once he pulled away. "Not so bad yourself Vaile," She looked him over, "Very nice." At his question she shook her head. "Not recently, I haven't seen her come in yet but then again," She looked about her with a slight shrug, "This place is so busy how are you meant to find anyone?"

[JOSEPHINE LOUISE EVANS]

Josie Evans had been eagerly waiting for Johnny's Valentine's Day party since the rumors started circulating around the castle weeks before the party was to be held. She did not really know the seventh year Slytherin boy, Johnny Townsend, but he seemed like a nice enough person. Most of the older girls drooled over his devilish good looks and they grew weak in the knees at his smooth ways. Besides, the invitation was open to all of the students and she thought it might be a lot of fun to attend. What could possibly be bad about a party celebrated on the one day dedicated to love? There would be dancing, good music, and fun people…it all sounded far too fantastic to miss. Many people thought that it would be one of the biggest events of the year. That was why Josie went through the trouble of planning the perfect outfit for the party long in advance.

She looked at herself in the mirror where she had been leaning in, applying the final touches of mascara to her long lashes. Vain was one word that could never be used to describe Josie. But staring at her reflection, she had to admit that tonight she was looking gorgeous. The dress that she had picked for the evening was supposed to be mid-thigh length. Sadly, due to her short stature, the pale pink dress fell down to her knees. A bodice made of gorgeous lace fit snuggly across her small chest, and a beautiful beaded design had been worked into the lovely material. The mesh skirt was soft and airy, causing it to whisper against her smooth legs whenever she moved. On her feet were the most beautiful and ridiculously expensive five-inch stiletto heels that she had ever seen. They were a rich beige, tinged the lightest of pinks, with attractive beaded jewels stitched along the sides. When she slipped them onto her tiny feet, she discovered that they fit perfectly! They also made her a whopping foot three. Her dad had sent them as a gift when he found out that she would be going to the Valentine's party. Even her mom had chipped in on the gift giving. Stuffed into the same box with her heels was a brand new lace clutch with a thin gold chain strap. Remarkably the clutch and the shoes matched not only her dress, but her pink and gold pearl bracelet and mother of pearl dangling earrings. Yup, Josie was looking good!

She practiced smiling at herself in the mirror and gave a flirty wink. Josie didn't know why she even bothered thought. The one boy that she did want to flirt with probably wouldn't even be there tonight and even if he was, Bailey didn't think of her like that. They were best friends and the chances of anything happening between the two of them were very, very slim. Sighing, Josie smeared a sparkling coat of pink gloss across her lips, stuck the tube in her clutch, and then placed the strap over her shoulder. There was no more lingering, it was time to go.

Fifteen minutes later, Josie was climbing out from behind a tapestry on the seventh floor and straightened her dress. One of the teachers had heard her heels on the stone floor before she could reach the room of requirement and she’d had to hide. Josie took a moment to check her make-up in a small compact mirror, and then she made a beeline for the door that had appeared. Seeing that nobody was watching her, she slipped inside and shut the door firmly behind her.

Once she was inside Josie was glad that she hadn't chosen the floor length red dress that caught her eye to begin with. She would have been invisible unless she sat on one of the white velvet couches all night. A smile graced her pretty face at the thought. No way, she was here to dance and have a good time! With that in mind, she glided to the drinks table and picked up a filled flute. Glass in hand, Josie turned carefully on her beautiful stilettos to face the rest of the room. Pale green eyes scanned the crowd for faces she might recognize as she took a cautious sip of her drink. Mmmm…whatever was in her glass, it was absolutely delicious with just a trace of warmth that slide down her throat and into her belly. She rather enjoyed it.

With a bright smile still on her face, Josie walked toward a cluster of people chatting. She was nearly sure that she had seen Killian. Perhaps he'd known whether or not Bailey was coming to the party. Before Josie had left the common room, she had checked to see if Bailey was in his dorm, but none of the other boys knew where he was. Maybe that meant he was getting ready in the boys bathroom or something. Killian came into view just as that thought slipped through her mind. She hoped that Bailey was going to be there, and then a girl moved aside and she saw that Bailey was right beside him. Her smile grew ten times bigger at the sight of him. She was glad to see that he had made it!

Drawing up beside him, she looked up into his face and said, "I'm so glad that you're here tonight. You are pretty much the only person here that I actually know. I figured I was going to have to fly solo and now I don't have too." As soon as she said the last, Josie wished that she could take it back. "Unless youwant to fly solo! I don't want to cramp your style or anything."

[WINTER HONEYSUCKLE RAYNE]

Winter hugged Meddy back just as tightly as the girl hugged her. She was a gorgeous girl and Winter absolutely adored everything about her. Meddy had been the talk of the castle for a while after everyone returned. Word had spread fast over the school holidays and even faster once everyone was in the castle. Nearly everyone knew Meddy and Goyle had a forced sort of thing going on so when it turned out Meddy had rejected his proposal and absolutely embarrassed the crap out of him, Winter had been cheering, shouting and jumping on the spot for her friend. She was free! Meddy could pursue a love interest of her own and it was clear to pretty much everyone but Meddy and Cole that knew exactly who it was she'd go after.

"Me? Have you looked in a mirror lately?!" Meddy always dressed amazingly and tonight was definitely no exception. "If you weren't already taken I'd be inclined to sweep you off your feet." Winter gave her a little wink. Winter wasn't that was inclined but Meddy did look gorgeous tonight. Cole was definitely one lucky guy. How the hell was he not here already?

Killian arrived and drew immediate attention to himself. It was no wonder he had such a big head, girls pretty much swooned over him as he passed by, hoping he'd talk to them. "Well if I spot him, I'll definitely send him your way." She said, having a look about at the guests of Mister Townsend. Winter was very much glad tonight was taking place, it was a hive of activity and the blonde watched with interest as Narcissus and Neve danced. Her attention was then drawn to Tatiana, then William. Winter rolled her eyes. He was so yeck. Even though she didn't really know the guy all that well he had a weird kind of aura about him and only liked pure-bloods, that was more than enough for Winter to dislike the guy, plus she'd seen him being an arse.

Killian made his way to them and kissed them both on the cheek. First was Meddy and then Winter. He lingered and Winter brushed her hand against his arm, enjoying the closeness of an extremely handsome guy. He was such a flirt and she didn't mind flirting outrageously with him once in a while, there were a few guys to flirt with but Killian was one of the funnest. Narcissus was a good one to flirt with, most of the time he thought sarcasm was genuine compliments so it was like a game, waiting to see if he'd pick up on what you were up to, usually he didn't and that just made it even more fun in Winter's eyes.

Winter shook her head a little, she'd not seen Molly but then again the place was so busy she probably wouldn't have spotted half the people she knew and besides, she didn't really know Molly all that well so she wasn't really on the look out for her. "No but does this mean that Killian has got a date for this evening?" Winter asked, quirking a single eyebrow curiously, Winter loved a little bit of gossip here and there.

Soon they were joined by Bailey who seemed to speak only to Killian but Winter didn't mind, she didn't know Bailey all that well and then all of a sudden there was Josephine as well who wanted to talk to Bailey. It was a busy place and people were lucky if they found their friends, once Cole turned up Winter knew she was going to have to bounce off and find herself a new friend to hang out with, she hated to be a third wheel.