L'chaim! L'chaim! To Life!

[Valentine Wenlock]

Valentine couldn't remember if he had gone to the ball when he graduated. Though he felt like he would have remembered all the pomp and circumstance, so he had decided that if asked the answer would in fact be no. It had, in fact, been so long ago and he had procrastinated on attending rather any balls that he could even afford to attend as the middle class lifestyle hardly allocated finances to attend. But, as a professor, Valentine felt almost obligated to attend. He had thought to bring his sister who undoubtedly would have ended up lingering on the outside of the Great Hall. Though blind, she was, in Valentine's opinion, a talented enough conversationalist though she would have had to rely on a man to lead.

After the seventh year girls graduated, and the applause was over and music kicked up, Valentine knew that he would at least have to dance with a few young ladies. It hardly excited him. In fact, he felt almost awkward at the whole ordeal. The cacophony of conversation had soon overloaded his ears and he moved from the dance floor to the refreshments, grabbing a glass of firewhiskey and downing it quickly. For a thirty-six year old single man, surely he should be trying harder for a wife, but the crowd was overwhelming. He saw classmates, married with children of course, and students in pockets around the room. The debutantes were waiting, some impatiently and some looking rather bored of the whole ordeal, his eyes quickly scanned the room for an older girl. He was too new to Hogwarts to feel bad about the possibility of courting a former student, but he'd rather dance with a woman he hadn't really met before.

He crossed the room careful to avoid people stepping on his navy blue dress robes and approached a young woman. "Pardon me," he began, "may I have this dance?"

open to any debutante/single woman MCAB 18-26

  

[Hortensia Moody]

@'Valeria Greengrass'
@'Valentine Wenlock'
I hope you don't mind! :)

Tilly seen to, Tensy had returned to the Great Hall just in time to witness the first of the ladies - Miss Sleptova of Ravenclaw, and Head Girl - descend the stairs, and began the procession of newly-crowned debutantes. She had slipped in beside her brother, who had looked down at her questioningly, most likely wondering where she had gone off to - if he had even noticed at all - but Tensy merely shook her head in response. Although she had reassured herself that Tilly was fine (physically, at least), there was still a part of her that continued to worry about her sister. Even if the others couldn't see it, Tensy knew her well enough to know that she was quite nervous, and even though she knew it was silly, the feeling seemed to persist well into the routine presentations until Ottaline was safely down the steps and handed off to their brother for the first dance. At their treating figures, Tensy had inwardly let out a tiny sigh of relief.

The first strings of music from the magical quartet rung out through the hall, and the ballroom once again came alive in fervent celebration of the newest debutantes. Hortensia stood a safe distance away from the dance floor, content to simply observe for the moment - for it was only a matter of time before her mother made sure every slot on her dance card was filled, and she wanted this moment to gather her bearings. But where she would normally find this exhausting - and she still did, to an extent - the very real and very terrifying threat that loomed over her head like someone awaiting a sentence of the Dementor's Kiss, was hard to ignore, and she'd gladly welcome the tiresome distraction than dwell on it for longer than necessary. It did no good to think about it, Tensy felt; it would only hinder her and her prospects in the long-run, but on a night like this one, where she was forcibly reminded that this was now her second Season... well, it was a bit difficult not to.

Tensy drew a deep breath and took a sip of her champagne. Breathe, Tensy, breathe..., she told herself, a mantra that she was all too familiar with, and was steadily losing its effectiveness, but it seemed to work that evening. Which was a relief because this night was about Tilly, who was still dancing with their brother on the dance floor, and Tensy smiled at the vision. She truly did look resplendent, not just in her gown - which she still thought highly generous of Elle and Circe to help pitch in for - but the whole ensemble, which seemed angelic in a way, almost innocent; the perfect debutante look.

She was halfway through her first glass of champagne when a gentleman dressed in navy blue robes approached. He didn't look like anyone she was acquainted with - or if they were, she was embarrassed to admit that she'd forgotten it - but he seemed nice enough, and if Tensy recalled correctly, she thought she might have saw him in passing among the teachers' section before the presentations. So a professor, probably; that certainly piqued her interest, and she wondered what subject he might teach.

"You may," she answered with a polite smile, setting her half-empty glass onto a table nearby and placing her gloved hand into his proffered one.

Words: 562 | Outfit: dress & hair

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   Valentine Wenlock

[Valentine Wenlock]

@'Imogen MacFusty'
@'Hortensia Moody'

Good. He wouldn't have to hide any signs of dismay at a rejection as she took his extended hand. He was hoping he hid his pleasure well enough so that she would not suspect that he had ulterior motives to which Valentine would of course say no, which was the truth after all. He felt as though he should say something as he led the young woman to the dance floor. "Valentine Wenlock," he introduced himself. Good start. "Arithmancy Professor." Bad move? Valentine couldn't tell.

He was hoping he wasn't appearing too awkward in his movements or his language. Valentine was definitely bad at social encounters and he almost wished he had never come to the Ball in the first place. He was not groomed for such displays of wealth and posterity. Not that he was hurting for money, just that he'd much rather be using numbers to predict outcomes in a much more concrete way than Divination. "Are you enjoying your evening, Miss?" Valentine wasn't so much asking her name as he was trying not to seem unapproachable. He usually had a very bright disposition until it came to women. That said he was thirty-five and that already was too old to avoid the fairer sex.

But Merlin was he bad at talking to women. Forever a thirteen year old boy, but at least Valentine had much less acne.

  

[Hortensia Moody]

@'Valentine Wenlock'
@'Valeria Greengrass'

He seemed to Tensy to be a little uncomfortable as he lead her out onto the dance floor, a little terse in his formalities and slightly awkward in his movements, rather reminding her of herself when she had first debuted. A year of experience and much-needed practice had seen some definite improvements since then, but she still couldn't help but be sympathetic. She knew very well how uncomfortable these sorts of functions could be - and they still were, in all honesty, though she knew now ways to better adapt to them and make them more bearable - and wanted to do her best to try and put him at ease.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wenlock," Tensy replied with a small smile, allowing herself to be led, "or should I call you professor?" She teased, attempting to be lighthearted, though pleased to find out that he was a professor - and in a subject she was interested in too! One wasn't likely to call Arithmancy a fascinating subject, of course, but it somewhat bespoke as to what kind of person he was to prefer a more precise method of predicting outcomes over the other, less concrete form of fortune-telling. They had that in common, at least. Though she supposed, however, that he must be a relatively new addition to the staff, as he certainly hadn't been when she had graduated the year prior.

"Hortensia Moody," she introduced, at last, the music starting up for the next dance as she continued, "and indeed, I am. It's always a proud moment to watch one's sibling debut." And it was - no matter how much she fervently wished that it was under better circumstances, she really was quite proud of Tilly for graduating and making her debut. Maybe it was being back at Hogwarts again or perhaps the realization that all of the Moody children - including herself - were now adults, but she was experiencing a hint of nostalgia about it all. "And yourself, sir?," Tensy returned after a moment. "Are you likewise enjoying your evening?" She glanced up at him, her expression one of pleasant politeness.

Words: 352 | Outfit: dress & hair

  

[Valentine Wenlock]

Valentine felt the stiffness in his movements. The societal pressures were hard enough to deal with when he was with his blind sister, Theodora, but speaking with women that clearly were more experienced than he was really a downer. He forced himself to relax before he replied to the Miss Moody. "Whatever you prefer," he said, voice soft to hide the nervousness. He met her eyes and nodded almost to the quarter note, as they moved across the dance floor.

"Indeed, Miss Moody, though I never had the pleasure of seeing my sister debut. She's blind, you see, and misses out on the finer things of society. Not that she would enjoy much of it. She is not a social butterfly, much like myself," he admitted. "I apologize fully for any misstep I take. I am not up to par like other men who only have to do this. But I do think I am enjoying my evening with all the frivolities."

  

[Hortensia Moody]

Though Tensy did her best to try and mask her surprise at his admittance, she was less surprised by the fact that his sister was blind - Merlin rest her soul, Tensy couldn't imagine leading that sort of life - and more caught off-guard that he had admitted it so freely. Perhaps it was his nervousness that was making his tongue looser than it likely would have been in any other situation, but she did have to commend him for his honesty - not very many people, regardless of their situation in life, would have readily admitted to having a disabled relative.

"I can relate," Tensy said truthfully, stepping in time to the music, "Not everyone is cut out for the social obligations society requires, but I've discovered that it's not impossible to learn to assimilate to one's environment." Which wasn't without its challenges, of course,  but it certainly did make her own social obligations a little easier to carry out.

"And please, do not worry for me," she added lightly. "I've danced with many a gentleman whose feet were less steady than yours, so I must say that you're proving satisfactory thus far." She chuckled, smiling at him encouragingly. "Is this your first time attending the Hogwarts Coming Out Ball, Mr. Wenlock?"

  

[Valentine Wenlock]

A burst of nervous laughter escaped his lips at her question about his ball attendance. "Is that most obvious, Miss Moody?" he questioned in return. "I went straight to work. But I am glad that at least I meet your minimum requirement."

There was probably nervousness in his tone, but she at least thought his dancing was steady. That helped him feel more comfortable in his shoes as he danced with his counterpart. Valentine was unsure of how to proceed in conversation. He was so terrible in social situations, being a professor was one of the only reasons he even attended this ball. "I daresay I could not have asked for a more forgiving dance partner. Thank you."