Dance With Me? ((Ernie, Justin, and Heather))

[Hannah Abbott MacMillan]

Blue lilies, Hannah laid the six blue lilies down on her bed, arranged on the pink, yellow, and white ribbons. She tied them around the stems and smiled at her little arrangement. She may not intend to go through with the love charm she had just begun but she liked the idea that it was an old arrangement she would be giving Ernie this day. Hannah took her new dress out of her wardrobe and held it in front of her. She rge spun in front of the mirror and the skirt swirl out in front of her. It was generally a white dress with a large pastel pink flower print. Very springish and perfect for Beltane.

After putting her dress on Hannah put her hair down and finished it off with a small curl at the bottom. It was about 2 in the afternoon and the formal celebrations should be beginning soon. Beltane was one of Hannah’s favourite celebrations and she loved that it was celebrated in the daytime too. She had sent a letter to her father saying Happy Beltane that morning and now she was going to see her fiancé and two of her best friends.

By the fireplace in the common room is where they were meeting. Hannah looked up at the clock on the mantle place and expected Ernie at least any moment. She twisted her hands but kept a huge smile on her face. Tonight would be fun, this afternoon would be fun, all she needed were her friends.

[ernie]

Ernie glanced down at his watch after pulled the tail end of his tie around his neck. He was exactly on time, as always. He had two minutes before he had told Hannah that he would meet her in the common room, and all he had remaining was his tie. Using the mirror he quickly tied the know, taking an extra moment to ensure its straightness before stepping back and glancing to make sure he had not forgotten anything. The tie he was wearing was new, bought for just this occasion. It was a pale blue, rather fitting for the occasion and matched his shirt perfectly. The shirt which was also new, was white with thin stripes of pale blue and yellow, and offset by his grey-blue pants. He had to admit that he thought he looked rather dashing. After his appearance had been approved of her stepped to his dresser, taking a small velvet box off the dresser and dropping it into his pocket. He mustn't forget it as it had a had a rather important part in his evening.

Ernie made his way down the stairs and stepped into the common room just as the minute hand on the clock ticked to the time he was to meet his friends. He nodded, mainly to himself, pleased with his prompt timing, and walked to where Hannah was standing. She hadn't seen him come down the stairs, as her attention was directed toward something else. "Hello darling" he addressed before leaning in to kiss her check. It was odd really, thinking that they were not a romantic couple. Part of it seemed so natural, and he couldn't imagine being with someone else, but their relationship had been platonic for so long, that certain motions still felt strange and new.

[Hannah Abbott MacMillan]

Hannah giggled, looked down, and blushed as Ernie kissed her on the cheek. They were engaged and she just loved it when he did that but she still blushed at these public displays of affection. “Hey, you.” She said with a huge grin and a small giggle in her voice. Wrapping her arms around Ernie Hannah gave him a big hug and rested her head on his shoulder. “You look great” she said quietly to him. When she let go she straightened his collar, which she had moved a bit when she hugged him.

“Oh, I have something for you.” She said happily turning and lifting her arrangement off the mantelpiece. “It’s only half of the love spell but… well I just thought it was a nice arrangement even though we aren’t using it the way it was intended. Happy Beltane.” Hannah then handed the blue lilies over to Ernie with a content little smile. Somehow, today, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. It was her first Beltane without her mother and that was of course hard but… she had Ernie here for her and she knew somewhere her mother was celebrating the holiday with all her ancestors past.

[Justin Finch-Fletchley]

Justin grinned a little to himself as he adjusted the collar on his shirt. Yes, he'd caught himself grinning at himself in the mirror. But he couldn't help but grin. He had the prospect of a fun evening ahead of him. And he could just anticipate what Heather's reaction to the way he looked right now was going to be. Oh, it would be very amusing. Very amusing indeed. He hummed and rocked back and forth on his heels as he pulled on the long overcoat. The black shoes polished to perfection were actually his tap-dancing shoes, so every time he rocked back and forth they made small clicks against the floor. The well-tailored black trousers that tapered outwards at the end weren't his original kit for Eton either since he'd grown rather a lot since he was ten, but the white bow tie and the overcoat were.

"I'll be coming shortly," he called after Ernie as his friend left the room with that familiar look of righteous purpose on his face. The uniform was all spic-and-span now for sure, but there was something else he needed before he could go. The camera. He'd 'borrowed' it, in a way, from Heather. He'd left a note which should stop her worrying too much. Hopefully. As long as she wasn't permanently put out with him. He'd bubblewrapped the camera and tucked it safely under his bed though. He could hardly have been any more careful. Now he took it out of the protective wrapping and followed Ernie downstairs with that in his hands. He didn't see Heather there immediately, but she'd turn up eventually. He was looking forward to the afternoon and evening ahead of them. But Ernie had just kissed Hannah. Oh, he'd missed it! What a shame. Hannah was hugging Ernie tight now though, so he took a picture of that instead.

Justin smiled as he walked over to them. "There, it can go in the school newspaper now," he said with a wink. "Read all about it! Most romantic couple of the year! How it happened! All that and more in Hogwarts: A New History," he said, acting as though he was trying to press some journal or other onto them and using his wand to make the sound of a bell as though he was ringing one of those as well. "Or at least in the yearbook. One less girl for me to chase, eh? You do look lovely though, Hannah." He smiled at her and then at Ernie. They'd all been friends since they were a lot younger so they would know not to take him entirely seriously. But he was very happy for the both of them. They made a perfect couple really. "I feel like that chap in the year below us now," he said. "The one that wanted a photograph of every nook and cranny of Hogwarts when he first came here. Pose now!" he ordered in his own friendly manner as he aimed the camera at the two of them again. "Come on, your fifteen minutes of fame has to come at some cost." he added with a smile to encourage them.

[Heather Foster]

The day had finally come. Beltane was here. What was so special about this day was that Heather wasn’t just going to go with friends to just flirt, but she was actually going with Justin. Well, Hannah and Ernie were joining them, but she didn’t know anybody else to spend the whole night with than her close friends. Heather was humming softly in her throat while getting her clothes out of her trunk. Justin seemed to be hinting to her that he was going to go as a school boy. She was absolutely a hundred percent sure, but it would look a bit odd if she dressed up in the white dress she was going to wear before. So, Heather had finally come to the conclusion as going as one of the St. Trinians girls. It might actually look like Heather was going to the Halloween ball, but she had never gone to the ball or that was held in October. She has stayed in the dorm room while the ball was going on, with a terrible head cold. Heather wasn’t all that happy spending the whole night in bed since had had the perfect costume to wear. The Halloween Ball was also the last ball for all seventh years. Luckily, there was Beltane and many things had happened since then.

Hannah had gotten ready rather quickly and already left the dorm room to find Ernie. “I might be a little late Hannah! Please do wait for me!” Heather called after her friend, watching as the door closed shut. Pulling on a white blouse that was tied in the front, she buttoned up the buttons carefully. The shirt exposed some of her stomach and wasn’t all that appropriate, but it was how some of the girls wore their shirts. Slipping a short black skirt that reached to her mid thigh on Heather than sat down on her newly made bed. On the floor was a pair of socks and also her nice dress shoe. Once the shoe strings were tied tightly, Heather jumped up from her bed, smoothing out her outfit. There was really one word that could describe how she felt. Odd. Did girls really prance around the school looking this? Sighing Heather than tied her Hufflepuff tie around the collar to finish off the outfit. The only thing now that she had to worry about was her hair. Pulling it into low pigtails, she tied yellow and pink ribbons to it, to look a bit springier. Once Heather checked her reflection in the mirror twice, she was finally ready to go. Giving Oreo a quick pat she bounded down the stairs to where everyone was supposed to meet.

Stopping at the end of the stairs Heather tilted her head slightly noticing Justin take pictures with her camera. Feeling rather confused she remembered the note he left her saying he was borrowing it. Putting her index finger to her lip to show Ernie and Hannah that they shouldn’t speak to her, Heather quietly walked up behind Justin. Slowly she finally reached and than began to tickle his sides. “You drop that camera or damage it in any way than your going to have to buy me a new one.” Heather said smiling brightly as he turned around. Glancing toward Hannah and Ernie she walked closer to them giving them both a hug. “I knew this would happen one day! I’m so happy for the both of you.” Heather said once she finished her hugging she gave Hannah a second hug. “You look like your glowing and that dress is so pretty,” Heather spoke softly to her friend letting go to take another closer look at Justin. He was wearing that Eton uniform which made him look like a penguin. “I thought you were just joking saying that you still had your Eton uniform. You just simply look….almost like a penguin…but an rather dashing one I must say.”

[ernie]

Hannah's arms wrapped around him in a hug and he returned the gesture. He smiled at her compliment on his looks. He did look rather dapper today, he had made sure of that. "As do you." He smiled at her as he started to step back and she gave him the flowers. "They are lovely, and we don't need a love spell. I love you already and I have no intention on that ever changing." He smiled again, and nodded as if agreeing with himself before leaning forward and kissing Hannah on the forehead just as he heard a very familiar voice behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to hear Justin rambling on about what their headline would read in the paper. He shook his head at his friend, whom he had learned better than to take seriously. Finally when Justin said to pose for the camera he sighed, thinking that perhaps it would not be so bad to have a photo of themselves together. "Take a good one Justin, maybe we will put one on the invitation." It seemed a piratical thing to do--have a charming photo of themselves on their wedding invitations that is. And with their wedding fast approaching, this may be the last time they appeared together dressed appropriately.

He wrapped an arm around Hannah and grabbed her hand with his free one, waiting for Justin to take a photo of them when he saw another familiar face coming toward them. He flashed a bright smile, both at her and for the camera before he was ready to greet her any further.