The Grand New Years Ball

"It's most definitely the latter, " Lexi laughed. "I know right. There's something about him that gives me the heebie jeebies, " she said. Lexi looked over at the refreshments table and saw a little hufflepuffer taking some punch. " Oh shit, " she murmured. "I'll be right back," Lexi sprang up from her seat and went over to the punch bowl.
" I wouldn't have anymore of that if I were you, " Lexi said approaching the little girl.

Since Aurora had declined to reciprocate Rose's nod, her face had turned sour. Between Aurora and her brother, she was stuck in a sense of disapproval and hurt. Instead, she decided to stick with the Vipers, they never tended to bite each other at least. Aileen, Julie and Vivi. Three of the people closest to her, they were all united in their darkness.

Rose sipped the spiked punch. "I have to agree dears, not as pleasant tasting as Vivi's but still, it is strong." She swilled the liquid in her glass and glanced around at the three of them. "Fancy heading to the common room soon, I'm not thinking much to this personally. Plus, I prefer solely Slytherin company." Her eyes flickered and landed on Maggie, hoping the others would understand her unspoken manner of thinking.

"Why?" Jane's eyes widened as a Gryffindor approached her, she wasn't intimidated by the older student, then again she was used to approaching everyone freely. Instead, she simply wondered why it was the punch was rendered undrinkable by her.

Jane looked to Akasha, Molly and Waycca for reassurance, wondering if the girl was actually just having her on. She eyed the punch up uncertainly.

"It really is quite awesome, and being a teacher instead of a student has its perks. No we can give people detentions instead of receiving them," John chuckled slightly. Not that he had gotten many detentions in his life, but enough of them. "So, you're excited for teaching? It is pretty different, but I quite enjoy it." John gave a slight shrug. He then smiled and nodded, "I know what you mean. Actually, you know what, I had a beard once... and it looked horrible. I don't think I could do it again." He wondered what Vanessa would think if he grew a beard. She'd probably laugh at him and then throw a razor at him, threatening physical harm if he didn't shave.

"Oh, yes. My niece, Molly. She's my late sister-in-law's daughter. Not much into music either, I'm afraid, so I doubt you'll see too much of her," John smiled and shrugged.

"Well its..." Lexi paused momentarily before continuing "it's gone off." Lexi placed an arm around her shoulder, and gestured her away from the punch bowl. "Here why don't you have some water instead?" Lexi indicated to a large jug of water stood on the corner of the table. Lexi liked to have a good time, but it didn't involve getting little eleven year olds drunk in the process.

Ambrose laughed when Lexi disappeared to go aid the small child he knew was trying to drink spiked punch. It was quite funny seeing the effect that the alcohol was taking on some of the younger students...

"I'm just gonna go see someone," he called out, waving a small goodbye, though large enough that the other Slytherins might see. He spotted the Vipers, amongst them Juliette. He had noticed that she was the first person to take a disliking to the company he kept. Walking over, Ambrose gave a broad smile to them all before standing beside Juliette.

"Good evening, lovely ladies, I hope you are all fine this evening? If it isn't too much trouble I'd like a word with Miss Juliette here"

Akasha's eyes widened comically at Jane's comment. "Jane, no! The punch is spiked!" Quickly, she took cup away from her and placed it somewhere random on the table. She looked at Jane, concern in her green eyes, "Someone put vodka in the punch; are you ok? Doo you need to vomit?"

When a brunette came up to them, advising Jane not to drink anymore, Akasha's eyes narrowed. Crossing her arms, she said, "Am I right to assume that you spiked the punch? Or are you a victim?"

(bahah, I'm actually at my dad's currently - and my brother is very reluctant to let me on. SO, my posts shall be few until I get back home. Which will be later tonight, maybe in an hour or two. :3 I'll still be lurking though. >D)

"Akasha, Waycca's right. Don't cover up that body! I'm so jealous right now," Molly chuckled. "Though, methinks you may be trying to show off to someone... am I right?" Molly questioned, a small smirk appearing on her face as she raised her eyebrows.

"Aw, thanks Way. I had to search everywhere for a dress this color." She really had, having yellow as the absolute color in mind that she wanted. Her last day of shopping proved to find this miracle dress. At the mention of her stars, Molly's grin widened. "Why Waycca, of course!" She said dramatically, flipping her wavy hair over the side of her shoulder.

"Aw, Jane, you are probably the prettiest one here, though. I mean, no one can compare to you," Molly smiled widely down at the younger girl. She really was quite lovely, as a child, and she could only imagine how beautiful she'd be when she grew up. She'd probably steal the hearts of many, many men.

"Oh, that sounds fantastic," Molly smiled wickedly. Spiked punch? What else could make this party better? "Let's go!" She announced. Molly snorted as Jane drank the punch and shriveled her nose. It would taste funny, having vodka in it. When a fellow Gryffindor girl came over to tell Jane not to drink the punch, she couldn't help but agree - and think that maybe, she had been the one to spike it.

"Yeah, she's probably right. It's not a... let's just say it's more of an adult drink. Hmn, I wonder if there's any non-contaminated drinks here," Molly pursed her lips as she looked down the refreshment table. It wouldn't be too great of an idea if little Jane here got drunk.

When Akasha jumped in and grabbed the drink from Jane, she was a bit surprised at her furiousity. "She only had a sip, Kasha, she'll be fine," Molly put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Though, she did have a right to be angry. There were a lot of kids here who shouldn't drink.

Lexi returned Ambrose's wave, and shot him a smile before turning to Akasha. "Look she's fine, " she stressed the last word. "Me? Spike the punch? I am merely a victim, " Lexi replied innocently.

Waycca gaped in horror when Jane returned with a cup of punch. A whole slew of curse words came to her mind but she battled them back for the sake of the young Hufflepuff. She hadn't even seen her walk away and now the eleven-year-old had alcohol in her system. Not so awesome after all.

Before she could have a proper freak out, a girl she recognized as being from her house approached and discouraged Jane from drinking any more. She raised an eyebrow at Akasha's speculations. If this girl had been the one behind the spiked punch, then she wasn't sure whether to praise her or get all mega-protective mode. "Sure," Waycca muttered in response to Lexi's pleading her innocence.

"Hm. I volunteer to be try every refreshment in this ballroom until we figure out which ones are spiked and which aren't," she said with a smirk, seeing it as a...worthwhile sacrifice.

Penelope had been rather content standing and watching others mingle. She wasn't much of one to seek people, not much of a social butterfly. She was too shy and nervous, at least with people she didn't particularly know. It was a shame, because there were numerous people here who she would probably get along with.

Pen bit her lip, out of habit, and fussed with her hair, pulling it over her right shoulder. She let out a small sigh before seeing someone familiar coming out of the corner of her eye. She blinked, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side as the familiar - yet still unfamiliar - Todd Cross walked up to her. A small smile made its way onto her face; it was really nice to see someone she knew - even if she didn't remember a lot about him. She turned her body slightly so that she was facing him more. The B.G. caught her off guard for a moment, and she had to rack her brain. Oh, right, She thought to herself, must mean Book Girl... that superhero nickname...

"Hello Todd," She greeted, her smile still present on her face. She felt a bit bad for not actually having told him that she was coming back; she had still had hopes that she could have stayed home, though being here again felt refreshing. "How are you?" She asked, as if she had never left... as if she had never forgotten...

Aileen watched a little long of the 'offending' couple dance before she noticed the girl leave elsewhere close to them. It was then that she noticed a young student get some punch. This will be interesting. she thought curious to the child's reaction. Vodka was a strong drink with a taste only some liked and others didn't. No doubt the girl would dislike it greatly. And it would put her off of trying alcohol for a long time.

But before the child could try, she was stopped by the Gryffindor girl. Aileen looked away since then, no long caring about the two. Instead she brought her attention to Rose. At the mention of heading back to the common room Aileen raised a brow. "So soon?" she asked curiously. She supposed it wasn't all that fun, but she didn't quite want to retire yet. When the Slytherin boy that was dancing earlier approached them, Aileen gave a sweet smile.

"Good evening to you Mr. Maguire." she said, keeping up the pleasantries. "I can not speak for my companions, but I fare well this evening. I trust the same for you?" she asked, though she expected no answer. "Feel free to escort her elsewhere." she added, smirking over at Julie. "Perhaps to the dance floor?"

Knox nodded, he loved the school, he had only been there for a year but he loved it. He nodded happily once more when she mentioned making friends. He didn't think he had a lot but the ones he had were amazing, Jessica being one of them.
"I think its one of the best parts about this school, no two people are the same, but we're all here for the same reason."
He said with a small smile.

Jane burst out laughing once she realised all the fuss was about the alcohol being spiked! She grinned a toothy grin at them all before reaching for some pumpkin juice in a glass.

"Well well, I never thought the first time I would try alcohol would be quite like this!" Jane giggled as a broad smile fell across her face. "Waycca, want to try this for me then?" She handed her the juice.

Looking back up at the new girl who had warned her of the alcohol, she maintained her toothy smile.

"You know, I think it's actually pretty cool you managed to sneak it in here!" Jane laughed. "We could probably use her for pranks," She nodded seriously to the others and paused for a moment in deep thought.

"You volunteer? Oh how noble of you, " Lexi replied to Waycca. "If you find anything, may I suggest", she paused and lowered her voice before continuing, "may I suggest, sneaking it back to the gryffindor dormitories."
She did feel bad that the little hufflepuffer had drank alcohol- she looked so small and innocent, but she couldn't help thinking some of her fellow gryffindors were overreacting.

"How cordial of you Aileen," he said, as ever impressed with her formality. "The dance floor? No, no, I intend to just hold a conversation- but of course, you were hinting, weren't you? Don't worry, if you want I will be back and shall whisk you onto the dance floor quicker than you can say 'Help, I'm being kidnapped'." He offered his arm to Juliette, who took it, and they disappeared into the crowd

"I know right? I'm just so brave and self-sacrificing," Waycca grinned, taking a sip of the juice and, once satisfied that it was clean - and way too sweet for her tastes - handing it back to Jane. "I pronounce it worthy of your digestion!" A mischievous smile found its way to her lips when Lexi told her about bringing some back to the dormitories. "Oh, I've already heard there are plans for that. I'll make sure to do my part if I find anything especially delightful, though," she murmured, smirking.

[okay, I've hijacked my dad's laptop... though the keyboard really screws with me. so expect odd mistakes. I may miss them.]

Molly blinked, a bit surprised with Jane's reaction. She bit her lip to hold back some laughter when Jane offered the glass of Pumpkin Juice to Waycca to try. She was something else, that was for sure, but that's was why these girls enjoyed her company. Jane was quick to think, albeit the slightest bit innocent.

Molly really couldn't hold it in when Jane said we should recruit the fellow Gryffindor girl. Molly laughed, a big grinning laugh. "Well, maybe you're right. It must have definitely been a feat to get it in here," Molly smiled. "And the fact that you were watching out for the younger children cannot suggest that you are all bad... and you're a Gryffindor."

Molly glanced back at Akasha, hoping she still wasn't going to jump anyone. She gave her a small smile. Everything was fine. Jane hadn't had enough alcohol in her to harm her and it was all in good fun. Plus, Waycca was willing to sacrifice herself to try all the drinks. She wondered how drunk she may get before the Gryffindor Common Room party. Hmn. A drunk Waycca could be quite interesting... Molly tried to hold back some more laughter.

"You're one hell of an optimist," Jessica admitted with a somewhat sad sigh. "Wish I could be like that. Everyone looks the same after a while. You have to do something special to shine in here"

"That you are, " Lexi smirked in response to Waycca. "I have some more stuff hidden in my dormitory, " Lexi grinned, "but anything else you can find wouldn't go amiss."
Lexi's face broke into a sideward smile at Molly's words, " Why thank you miss Molly." Lexi followed Molly's gaze to Akasha, she looked like she could have throttled Lexi before and so she held out a drink in her direction, "A peace offering?"

Jane laughed and recieved the pumpkin juice back gratefully and began to sip it through the yellow straw. The tangy flavour filled her mouth and she relished in the absence of the awful tasting alcohol.

"She has proved loyalty and she seems mischievous," Jane surveyed the elder girl thoughtfully before nodding with a smile. "If you would like, we would be glad to have you on our team! But first, we need to know your name..." She paused realising, she had no idea what the Gryffindor was called.

As her thoughts trailed off, she had a revelation.

"Oh no!" Jane had been enjoying the proceedings before a thought crossed her mind. "I'm a Hufflepuff so I won't be at your house party! Unless..." A cheeky grin spread across her pale rounded face. "Why don't I sneak in and then one of you could walk me back safely?" She looked wide-eyed up at the older students with a pleading glare.

Molly raised her eyebrows a bit as Lexi offered her a drink. "Well, you are very welcome. That might be the loveliest peace offering of the night," Molly smiled widely as she accepted the drink. She took a long sip, letting the burning sensation of the alcohol go down her throat. She wasn't normally one to drink a lot, but if it was provided at a party, she wouldn't say no.

Molly glanced back down at Jane and chuckled. "Depends on how sober we all are, Jane, dear." Molly smiled a bit. To get from the Gryffindor Tower to the Hufflepuff Kitchens and back might prove to be difficult if drunk, but maybe if a few of them went it would all be fine. Plus, if Jane really would prefer to hang out with them, then why not? As long as she didn't drink herself, it should be all good. Plus, have you ever tried to say no to Jane's pleading glare? No, didn't think so. It was difficult.

Knox rubbed the back of his neck and nodded a bit. He knew he was an optimist, but both of his parents were, so he didn't have much of a choice. He tilted his head slightly up at her when she said people started looking the same after a while. He didn't see it that way at all, no one had to shine to stand out, at least not to him, perhaps to the more shallow students that was the case.
"You stand out fine to me Jessica."
He said with a grin, which quickly faded when he felt like what he said sounded like he spoke about her appearance.
"Y-you're just really really nice and a good person!"
He squeaked out quickly.
" . . . I think that's the way to shine here."

"I'm Lexi, " she smiled extending a hand in Jane's direction. "Well it might be possible, " Lexi said, raising her eyebrows and contemplating the idea.
Lexi smiled in response to Molly, and added, " I think we should go for it. " The little girl seemed eager to join them in the gryffindor tower and bitch she might sometimes be, but Lexi didn't have the heart to say no to such a young girl.
"I could smuggle you in a big rucksack?" Lexi joked, ruffling her hair a bit.

Jessica tilted her head, a little curious at his strangely endearing optimism.

"You see the world in a different way to the way I do," she said with a shrug. "But thanks. I guess I stand out a bit," she added but tried not to sound too sad about it, "but it's just my opinion that some people don't." She grinned. "It's a nice way of thinking about it at least. You'll go far, kid, if you think of people like that"