I Will Remember You.:Grad. Ball {Open to All!}

[Hestia Jones]

While she did want to agree that there was no contest when it came to the cutest couple, Hestia did doubt her and Doc would win against Danny and Eddie. She'd be doubtful when Doc had insisted that she visit over the summer, but Eddie and Danny were entirely too precious together and it was completely unfair. Thankfully, her announcement distracted Doc, and she smirked as his eyes dropped to her chest. Don't worry, you'll have to help me out of this dress later. While she felt bad for leaving the guys by themselves, she was sure they would appreciate it. After all, it had been months since they had actually seen each other properly.

"Of course I've got a flask in here. Might have a bit of a time getting it out," she answered, looking over the treats on the table. Doc was already lost in chocolate, and she had to laugh as he helped himself to the flowers. "It's nice, having a party to see us off. Although I'm sure some of them are celebrating the fact they won't have to teach us anymore," she jested, unable to resist the allure of the chocolate on the table any longer.

She smirked at Doc's question, peering up at him before she scanned the immediate area. It didn't seem like anyone was paying them too much mind. "Well, you could help me get this flask out - I'm kidding!" she exclaimed quickly, laughing as she took another treat from the table. "Keep a look out obviously, it's going to take me a second to get this out. Especially for Tommy, don't let him catch us!"

[Danick Amor]

Danny chuckled at Eddie's quiet words, amused by them. Hestia was wonderful, but she had failed to grasp the difference Hispanic and Spanish. And he'd let it go over the summer, seeing as he was far more interested in spending time with Eddie than discussing language. His laughter faded into a grin, unable to hide his happiness at Eddie's use of Portuguese for him. "Well, meu amor, it's all worth it to see you." 

Besides the fact he'd spent a wonderful summer with the other boy, there had been an ache in his chest once he had returned home. Where here there was at least a level of acceptance, the culture was different. Even though he knew places and people to go to, he hadn't wanted to. He'd had to go out sometimes - money didn't make itself - and he had a few friends that would pay him to perform with them. But the scene hadn't felt right. Had he gotten so used to Eddie being by his side, or was it something more than that? The concept of love was foreign to him, not something he had planned into his future.

But whatever he was feeling in this moment, he wasn't alone. As his mind raced with worried thoughts - was he being too forward? This wasn't one of their bars - Eddie was closing the distance between their lips and energy was shooting up his spine as he lost himself in the moment. Or many moments, if he was being honest with himself. Summer nights spent laughing, hanging out at the flat he'd managed to secure for a month while he was there. That place had been an adventure in itself.

He smiled as Eddie suggested a walk, resting his forehead against the other boy's for a moment before pulling away, taking Eddie's hand in his own. "Outside, yeah?" he asked as they moved through the crowd, his mind wondering if this walk would turn into more. Because frankly right now he wanted to be snogging Eddie senseless away from all of these people. Still, he led them into the cool night air, stopping outside of the doors to the school. "Ah, you'll have to lead from here. Can't say I'm too familiar with this place."

[Peter Pettigrew]

Peter scrunched up his nose at Remus’ words and then even more so at his suggestion. “My parents don’t much like anyone, least of all me. Daisy and I are better for being well shot of them.” He said a hint of ice in his voice; not for his friend, but for the woman who mothered him and the man who sired him. The Order member could barely tolerate the knowledge that they were out there, somewhere, alive, much less picturing them having lunch with his love. He would never let them near Daisy. And he would never take dating advice from Xenophilius Lovegood. Peter simply snorted. “Not much of a show.” Then there was Daisy and nothing else mattered. Their greeting was more than pleasant and Pete felt complete again now that she was in his arms, but they were quickly distracted from each other by their best friends.

Shock preceded any other emotion at Remus’s words. There was joy, thankfulness, and love, but above all, Peter was shocked. “Me? Best man?” he asked stupidly as if he hadn’t heard correctly. Maybe he hadn’t, maybe he was in a sort of daydream; Daisy as gorgeous as ever, Remus asking him to stand witness at his wedding, it was unreal. He had never expected to be chosen over the others. Sure, he and the boys -the Marauders- were so close they might as well have been brothers but…Peter had mostly felt like the low man on the totem pole in the group. Remus had his fury problem, Sirius had his looks and charisma, and James… James was the one among them who Peter would have pegged to be best man at Remus and Charlotte's wedding. He was the kindest; it was mostly his idea to become animagi for Moony, he was the one, Peter thought, Remus trusted most. Besides, the smallest of their group knew he had nothing to recommend him. But he had been wrong all along! All their shared years and experiences together had meant more; it seemed than James’ big heart or Sirius’s heartbreaking smile.

“Yes.” He heard himself saying. “Yes, of course. I would be honored. Thank you.” Was that moisture in his eyes? No, couldn’t be. He turned to Daisy, elation filling him up, and smiled. At Charlotte’s comment, he laughed a real, loudly happy laugh. “Oh, I’m sure she will!” he agreed; he had always expected Daisy to be Charlotte's pick, no surprise there. Maid of Honor and Best Man. Suiting titles for them, he thought. He looked back to his love -Daisy was not so skilled at keeping tears at bay, and when she started to cry, Pete held her closely for a few beats. "Silly girl, you should have known she would choose you, you're perfect after all," he told her quietly. She was the sweetest person; how could she not have known, Char adored her so much, they were the best of best friends. They broke away and Peter moved to embrace Remus, clapping him on the back and giving him a solid squeeze. He sniffed, moving over to hug Charlotte affectionately after Daisy had had her fill. Inconspicuously, he wiped away an escaped tear. “You better never tell the others about this. I’ll never live it down.”

[Doc Dearborn]

Merlin, I love you.

The words were more than an endearment to him; they were a promise, his word, something not given or taken lightly. He'd fallen in lust before and enjoyed the bounty of it, but love with this girl was something altogether more than his current vocabulary could accommodate describing. He'd always thought that retaining his independence was important; that being his own man was paramount; that truly knowing himself was the most perfect endeavor he could devote time to. But Hestia had challenged him this spring to take time for a different sort of self-reflection: how did he truly feel about her?

He'd known then that he felt for her. Cummings had helped him say what he couldn't yet speak - i carry your heart with me - and while it'd been a few weeks since their commitment, he hadn't yet said the promise in words of his own. While he felt it would be trite to tell her that for the first time tonight, it was something he knew to be true...

"How did you know you loved me?"

    "Well, when you stuffed a flask into your bra at the grad dance, I knew you were the one."

Yeah...that'd go over well.

The imaginary conversation in his mind couldn't hold water to the one actually in progress - or the divine chocolate available to them - so Doc tried to shake himself back to the present, shooting his date a smirk. "Bet Sprout's just glad to not have dress code complaints about us anymore," he laughed, continuing in an absolutely matter-of-fact manner. "Now that we're adults, no one can tell us not to wear pajamas whenever we please, after all."

As soon as his brunette beauty gave the suggestion of him helping with her current predicament of flask-in-bodice, Doc was wiping his chocolatey hands on the tablecloth; while they en route, though, his hands were verbally slapped away from their next destination. "Don't say things you don't mean, Hestia Jones," Doc mock chided through her laughter, settling for wrapping his arms loosely around her waist instead of slipping them into her dress. He ducked towards her to whisper, "Howabout I block you and watch that way while you complete phase one." The Hufflepuff graduate gave a nod to those behind her, subtly swaying to the slow tempo of the song echoing about the hall.

[Eddie Brown]

Danny's hand in his was a missed feeling; them two stealing away, well, Eddie would never get enough of if. He would never get enough of Danny. He had searched this whole year for someone, something similar to what he had found with the Brazilian next to him and had failed miserably. Because there was noone like Danick. He understood that now. Hell, there wasn't even a slightly gay guy in Hogwarts, not that he had found at least. There were plenty beautiful girls...but it was different, not even his long-time 'buddy' Anna could excite him like she used to. Nothing seemed to fully satisfy him, not since he had met the babe currently attached to his hand. 

At the stairs, when the other boy stopped, Eddie gave a secret smile at his words. In their relationship, Danny had been the leader, the more experienced one. It was different and nice to be the one with the knowledge for the time being. "Come on." he beckoned, reluctantly letting go of the others hand and walking before him into the hedges. Excitement aping up the further he wove into the maze.
Whoever had set this up had done a mighty fine job. It was resplendent, a true garden, in full bloom. Fairy lights and hidden alcoves and shadowy benches. Eddie passed them all up, looking for the perfect place. Every now and then he looked back to Danny, still amazed he was actually here. That he had come for him, Edmund Brown. It was too perfect. He rounded a corner and only a few feet ahead the castle loomed up before them, bushes creep toward the sky, past his head, on either side: a dead end. 

Turning back to Danny, he could barely contain himself. He wanted to ask a million questions,: How have you been? What have you been doing back in Brazil? Who have you been doing back in Brazil? But more than that, he simply wanted. None of those questions mattered right now. The only thing that mattered was reaffirming what he and Danny had between them. Eddie reached out, grasping the other boys collar and brought him in close, savoring the tension that built in the tiny space between them. "I didn't know." he admitted quietly, taking a step back, then another. Again and again he moved, pulling Danick along with him until he felt the cold stone of Hogwarts pressed against his back. "I didn't know how much I missed you, how much I've been wanting you. I know now. Danny...I..." Whatever he had wanted to  say, neither found out, because he had finally had enough. His mouth was on the other boys, hot and fierce and his spirit sang.

[Daisy Hookum]

She’d spent the entire day assuring herself that she was going to be just fine, that she was okay. She didn’t need for her mother to see her graduate from school, it wasn’t that big of a deal anyway. It was simply a ceremony, a fleeting moment in time. Besides, she needed to treasure these moments. The ones where she was still here in the castle, where she wasn’t going to have to figure out what to do with her mother’s house. That was for tomorrow. She had an entire train ride to deal with whatever emotions escaped, but not tonight. Tonight was for celebrating friends, for dancing, and for sneaking off to their favorite spots they’d never get to snog in again. Peter was here, and that meant everything was okay. It was the way everything went from a dull haze to being in focus, he grounded her into the reality of the moment instead of letting her mind wander. 

But Daisy hadn’t prepared herself for the announcement from her recently engaged friends, and she had to grin at the two Marauders as Peter seemed stunned by the question. While she had wondered for a while if Charlotte and Remus had discussed the wedding, there hadn’t been much talk of it with so much flurry at the end of the school year. Tears filling her eyes, she had to simply nod to Charlotte, caught off guard at her best friend’s addition. Leave it to Charlotte to make her cry, and she let out a laugh as Peter pulled her towards him to comfort her. Gaining her composure, she moved to Charlotte to wrap her in a hug, positively beaming. “Don’t worry, I can keep him in line,” she joked, before finally moving to give Remus a hug.

”Okay, okay, you two are going to make me cry if we keep standing here. Come on, let’s go dance.”

[Remus Lupin]

Peters parents were a sore subject he shouldn’t have brought up, another reminder that there was more than one kind of stuck up Pureblood family in their society. Thankfully it wasn’t an extended conversation, as nothing seemed to lift Peter’s spirits quicker than Daisy.

Charlotte was quick to pick up on his tease, smoothly his jacket as she continued right along with him. There wasn’t anyone else in the world who understood him the way she did, not even his brothers. Because yes they were close, but they all had their sides they didn’t share with each other. Charlotte was there in those small moments, in the quiet hours when a book was too good to put down and so they needed to make more tea, sharing a blanket on his couch as they both were dragged deeper into stories. She was the comfort in the silence, the person he could just be around. And while their best mates were often nauseating with their public affection for each other, he had only happiness in his heart as Charlotte kissed him, losing himself in the moment.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world right now,” Remus whispered in reply. These last few moments in the castle tonight were the last where they could both exist outside of the real world, a world that was not safe or kind. Her father had been furious when Remus had told him that he had proposed, even without the Fudge blessing. And long gone were the days where he concerned himself over what Rufus thought.

Because they were going to get married, with their best friends by their side. Remus had to chuckle at Peter, his brother apparently caught off guard by the sudden question. But Peter would be there for him, just as Daisy - already in tears, sweet thing - would be there for Charlotte. “I won’t tell a soul,” Remus responded with a smirk, glad to save this moment as something just between the four of them. He returned Daisy’s hug, giving a laugh as she insisted they stop standing around. Intertwining his fingers with Charlotte’s, he followed their friends into the Great Hall. “What are you feeling first? Dancing or chocolate?”

[Hestia Jones]

Professor Sprout really deserved a medal for putting up with the Hufflepuff house as a whole. It was, after all, the best house. The house that had the most fun, the most adventures, and the most dress code complaints for students simply not wearing their uniforms. The last was probably mostly her and Doc, and she had laugh. “Doc, we could have just worn pajamas to this. What were we thinking?! Oh well - there’s always the train tomorrow.” Their last train to Kings Cross from the school would be quite a journey in pajamas.

But at her next Doc was giving her a look, clearly less amused by her joke. But a good sport as always, she grinned as he took her in his arms none the less. The coast was clear enough at the moment, and she swayed with him as she dug into her dress, struggling for a few moments to get the flask out. “See, if we had just worn pajamas I could have put this thing in a pocket,” Hestia stated, unscrewing the cap and uncermiously dumping the dark liquid in the nearest punch bowl.

“I filled it up from half empty cups at the Three Broomsticks last Hogsmeade trip.” Hestia grinned at Doc, mixing the punch with the spoon before putting some into a cup. “And before you pout anymore, you can help me get this dress off tonight. Promise.”

[Danick Amor]

There was something different about Eddie, different from any other person Danny had been with. His first real relationship has been Elena, a girl he still considered to be one of his closet friends. But they had been friends before dating, remained friends after. But Eddie wasn’t supposed to have an effect on him like he did. Summer flings were supposed to be summer flings, filled with fire, passion, and fun. Oh, but how quickly the last summer had become more than that.

It was more than a band gig and an attractive guy. It was nights out, sharing secrets, watching the night clouds in the sky while laying under the stars. Inside jokes and nicknames, and so much laughter. Laughing so hard that your belly hurt and you couldn’t breathe. When you want to stop laughing because it hurts but then it starts all over again the second glances are exchanged. It had been a happy summer, a place to be who he truly was without the looming threat of a past hanging over him.

And as they walked through this maze, Danny following behind slowly, heart quickening in his chest every time Eddie looked back at him. Danny felt warmth, something that had been lacking when he returned home. How one could feel so cold and empty in a place that he had always known. A quem sabe esperar ensejo, tudo vem a seu tempo e desejo. His grandmother had said to him, always during those late nights he was awake and staring into a dying fire in his thoughts. A sorte favorece os audazes.

So he had been patient, and he had been bold. And here he was turning a corner into a dead end with Edmund Brown in Scotland, taking a very big chance on his heart. Eddie was closing the space between them, his voice barely a whisper in the night air. There was static in the air ariundthem, tension seeming to mount as Eddie pulled him further, words barely spoken befor all thoughts ceased at the kiss. In this moment only the two of them mattered.

“Estou apaixonado por você...” Danny murmured between kisses, all hesitations gone. Eddie might not speak the language, but the concept was all the mattered. Love was love no matter the language.

1. He that can have patience can have what he will (English Equivalent)
2. Luck favors the bold. (English Equivalent)
3. I’ve fallen in love with you.

[Doc Dearborn]

Doc laughed as his date lamented their choice in dress, although he thought their blaze-orange ensembles were something to applaud. Tonight they stood out because of the nearly glowing brightness of their dress clothes, but they absolutely could have done the same by showing up in their favorite articles of clothing. "Train pajamas, I promise," he agreed easily, all aboard with the idea. What better way to leave school than with one last act of harmless defiance? Pomona would be disappointed in them if they all of a sudden went straight, and Doc couldn't have that weighing on him.

But happy thoughts were all that were allowed tonight, and he took Hestia in his arms, nonchalantly swaying the pair of them to the music's slow tempo as she worked out the flask. He hid a burst of laughter by ducking into her shoulder, the poor girl really was having a rough time of it and thought pajamas were the answer to all things in life. Merlin, did he love her. The lad groaned after she'd deposited her pilfered liquor into the punch, letting his laughter show as he grabbed and filled another cup. "Merlin alive, Hestia, this is going to be disgusting," he said through his laughs, not knowing what mix of alcohol she'd put into the drink. He popped a kiss to her hair at her last, ready to close the night at any time to get their own private celebrations going, and held up the cup to her. "Mae tegell yn ferwi and ty'n barod," he said, slipping into their native tongue and bringing out an old saying for the occasion. While theirs was an uncertain future, just as much if not more so than the ones of those around them, Doc was as ready as he could be to embark on it with her at his side. He downed the cup quickly, trying not to taste it, and shuddered after at the resulting sting down his throat. "Bartender Jones, you're relieved of duty," he said, coughing through the words, before turning a grin on her and leading her to the dance floor.

*The kettle's boiling and I'm ready.
*Also the gif's being weird for me but open it in a new tab and see it's real cute.

[Anastasia Savage]

"Here, bring these to the refreshment table, s'il vous plaît. Merci." Handing off, hopefully, the last task of the night to one of the younger prefect's, Ana heaved a sigh and came to stand next to her fellow Head. Today had been the busiest day of her life, to date, by far, hands down, no questions asked. Between graduation, saying a proper good-bye to the Quiddtich team she had had the pleasure of captaining for the last few years, and all of her Head Girl duties, she had scarcely breathed since waking. She did now, knowing once the night came to an end, she would be done and that she had done all she could do to make the best of herself at Hogwarts. It was bitter-sweet. On the one hand, she had succeeded, she would be testing for the Aurors over summer, it was her calling and she knew it in her bones that she would pass. But on the other hand...it was all over. Hogwarts was a period in her life that she would never be able to return to. The castle, the youth, the friends, the room for failure and growth; she would miss it.

People began arriving then and everything slowed, the rapid beat of her heart, the racing of her mind, time itself. The glass of wine she had indulged in at lunch and then when, quickly, getting ready for the dance had carried her over nicely, but she secretly hoped someone had managed to spike the punch under her not so watchful eye. Tommy, her partner in running this school for the last year and setting up for the last couple hours, left her side the moment Sylvia Davies made her entrance and Ana laughed, admiring the pair. It was nice to see two people in love but she had to look away when they started kissing, her cheeks flushed. She would probably be seeing a lot of that tonight, though experiencing none. Internally she allowed herself a moment of sadness, it would be nice to share the evening with someone. But she had her friends and what could be better?

Speaking of, she spotted the lot the moment they entered. Eddie in a grand fashion which made her chuckled and Hes and Doc in matching attire which had her uttering an audible “Aw!” However, the moment she made to greet them there was a tap on her shoulder and a crisis with a previously hung decoration that had a poor sticking charm and was threatening to take out a perfectly placed flower arrangement. She didn’t even consider recruiting Thomas, Ana would have never pulled him away now, she went to handle it herself. By the time she found her fellow badgers Eddie was nowhere to be seen and her favorite couple were on the dance floor. Deciding she wasn’t ready for dancing herself, that it was better to just give a wave when she caught her best friend’s eye, Ana gave her a big smile and two thumbs up as she shouted out. "Sweet moves!"

[Deleted]

The day was just blurring past her.

While the majority of Carolyn's life was planned to a T - including an internal preparation of the emotions that may run through her during the large and important events such as graduation - she was struggling to hold on to her composure. She had thought of everything that may happen today, down to the possibility of someone's dress getting torn, but now that the day was rolling to an end, the enormity of their situation was finally dawning on her.

The Ravenclaw was not scared of graduating - she had interviews set up with some of the most prominent wizarding law firms throughout the summer, and she was sure that by the end of the holiday she will have secured a position among them as an intern. Her relationship with Benjy was strong, and while there was no talk about moving in together when they left Hogwarts, they could only go so long without taking that step. It wasn't as if they spent most of their nights together in Ravenclaw tower like some other people did - she had her Prefect title to live up to - but they had taken the large step in terms of physical intimacy at the end of May, and she believed the two of them were still riding off of that high.

She smiled as Pan linked their arms. They were due to meet their beaus for the graduation dance and had spent the past hour getting primped up for the occasion. "You could say that,"Caro laughed, "If there is no cake then Professor Dumbledore will be hearing about it in the morning." They were here to celebrate after all. What was a celebration without cake? The stairs proved challenging with her dress, but soon they were down them, and Caro gave a smile to Benjy, her heart filling up while she took him in. "Well, isn't someone looking dapper," she said, before kissing him slowly. She wasn't sure the feeling she was feeling about the boy who's cheek her hand softly lay on, but she wanted it to continue for a long time.

[Pandora Nott]

A year that seemed like it was going to take forever was over. She had graduated from Hogwarts that day, her parents had come to support her she had greatly enjoyed seeing them in the crowd. They had also gotten the chance to meet Xenophilius, her incredibly fantastic boyfriend of a few months now. She hadn't really expected to ever want a boyfriend, let alone have one. And to progress to the point where she felt such strong feelings for him, well she certainly hadn't expected to ever say that she loved someone. But their relationship had gotten to that point, and she felt honored to be attending the last Hogwarts ball with him. She had taken special care to pic out her outfit, seeing as this was supposed to be a special event. She had even gone as far as to talk to her roommates and get makeup advice, although she felt like it was too much as she checked her appearance in the mirror.

But it was already past time for the ball to have started, and she laughed at herself before she left the dorm to go and find Carolyn. Her best friend had a boyfriend of her own, another thing she had never expected. But Benji and Carolyn were cute together, and she was happy for them. She wrapped her arm around Carolyn's, giving her friend a grin. "Excited? It's so weird that this is going to be our last night here! I hope there is pudding." And if they were lucky, perhaps there would even be cake! Cake was really a great dessert to have for any sort of celebration.

She nodded to the conversation around her as they all headed down to the ball, her mind lost in thoughts of pudding and other snacks to enjoy. But she couldn't stop her smile when her eyes found Xeno. He looked so handsome in his suit, and she felt so lucky to have found someone like him. She let go of Caro's arm to go to him, turning to give her best friend a wave, "I'll see you inside!" She linked her arm in with Xeno's, pulling him into the Great Hall for a dance.

[Benji Fenwick]

Maybe he should say something. Arn looked as if he might actually be sick, well maybe not sick, maybe pass out. Either way, maybe he should say something to calm his friend. Not, 'You better not puke on these shoes.' That wouldn't help. Neither would, 'You have dated Dorcas before, man up.' Benji didn't know what to say. He wished he could share with his best mate the comfortable ease he had found within himself these last few months, but he knew that was not possible, either. The very recent graduate -he could still barely believe he was done with Hogwarts- huffed, giving his roommate some space to deal with his emotions on his own. Looking instead to the beautifully decorated hall and all of his fellow graduates...

Benji's attention snapped into sharper focus on the doors into the hall as a familiar figure caught his eye. His arms unfolded, his frame locking into place, his vision a tunnel of Carolyn. He swallowed, his heart hammering a wild tattoo against his chest. Carolyn. Pandora was next to her, looking ethereal as usual, he spared her an adoring glance. But Carolyn...Carolyn was real, solid, tangible, she was an anchor to the world, and his eyes were all for her as she approached him. He smiled, managing to say, “And you are breathtaking.” Before she was kissing him. It was slow and agonizing and deep down Benji felt the fire begin to kindle. It hadn't been that long ago that he had finally done it, they had done it, had sex that was. That huge three letter word that had given him the worst kind of anxiety imaginable for so long. They had done it. And it was amazing. Something he could have never thought to dare to hope for. He had thought maybe, finally, taking the plunge would albeit some of his randiness. Boy was he wrong.

Tangling his hand in her soft golden locks, Benji snaked his other around her waist, placing her more firmly in his embrace. His body was alight with the feel of her, even when they broke apart, because they had to, they couldn't go  for a full on snog right now, unfortunately. So he tilted his head back to give them some distance, though he still held her body against his, and with his position he began to sway them back and forth to  their own music. The music of their hearts.  "How are you this evening, my dear?"

[Arnie Peasegood]

As Arnie descended from Ravenclaw Tower with his roommates, together for perhaps the last time, he was hit with a nostalgia he hadn't expected. For nearly a year he'd just wanted to be done - he'd wanted to graduate with Dora, move on to being an adult with her. He'd wanted to skip this last year, skip past the difficulties of a long-distance relationship, skip struggles with his friends. He'd tried and failed to keep up a relationship with the girl he still loved; he'd seen his best mate go from being his best mate to someone who hardly spoke to him, to someone who was now in a committed relationship and he could again call friend. He'd seen changes in those closest to him at school, from Xeno's admittance of feelings to Doc's sudden decision about the Order...

While he'd made mistakes - one that he was going to try his hardest to start remedying tonight - Arnie was grateful for this last year. He wouldn't have wanted to miss the late night debates with the young men walking with him, conversations that weren't going to happen anywhere else but their dormitory; he wouldn't have wanted to miss these last Hogsmeade visits, of laughs shared with friends he didn't know how often he'd get to see anymore; he wouldn't have wanted to miss Tommy finally getting everything he deserved, with Quidditch, his Head Boyship, and mending things with Sylvia.

Tonight, though - tonight was for starting to mend things with Dora, and he had the funny feeling that his nerves at that weren't as well hidden as he'd wanted. He could practically hear the tough love pep talk Benji would give him if he'd opened up just a little, but it was alright, it was fine, this was going to be grand.

She'd come to the graduation ceremony, had found him with his family at Hogsmeade afterwards; his bumbling invitation to the dance tonight had, miraculously, been accepted. The surprise of seeing her, the familiarity of joking with her, of hugging her...

She said yes. You're not in the clear yet, lots of work to do, but - but she's coming tonight. That can't be anything but a good sign.

Arnie was most excited to just be with her again. To do more than be the awkward mess at her door, to hold her and dance with her with confidence, to summon up the courage to tell her how sorry he was for everything, to get past the nerves of asking her to try again. She might still be with Ethan -

    She wouldn't have agreed if she was, would she?

He grinned as their paths crossed with Carolyn and Pandora - was mainly grinning at the goofy looks on their boyfriends' faces, but they looked absolutely stunning. The graduate looked over his shoulder to the front door, checking his watch - She'll be here, any minute. - and upon turning back to his friends...Arnie looked back to the doors again for Dora, and it was with a smile that he found her. He waved her over eagerly, kissing her cheek once she was close enough, an arm slipping familiarly around his date's waist.

"Thanks for coming, you look beautiful." Pandora and Xeno had already entered the hall, his best mate looked ready to give up on the dance itself and take advantage of their empty dorm with Caro, and here he and Dora were at another school dance, together. Last year's graduation night had had its abrupt ups and downs, what with lingering pranks and slow dances and a confusing flurry of engagements, and he wondered if his class would step up to the plate and make it just as unforgettable a night. "So, Benji's got a girlfriend," Arnie continued unnecessarily with a quiet chuckle, gesturing at the canoodling pair nearby. "Carolyn Wilkes, her brother was in your class. Aiming for the Ministry, the law offices I think - oi, Fenwick, you ready to head inside?" He raised his voice to get his distracted happily in love mate's attention.