A confident young man walked the corridors of Hogwarts that evening. He knew that, as a member of the faculty, he was expected to put in an appearance, and to arrive early, and he was going to do both. He was feeling on a dizzy high after seeing how good he COULD look if he put in a little effort, and with the arrogance of youth, was feeling utterly indestructible.

He walked with a rare straightness to his walk, a strange contrast to his usual slouch, and something of the old Anders Grimalkin was back as his gait took on a boyish jaunty bounce. Arriving at the Great Hall, he pushed open the door and entered. It appeared that he was the last of the staff to arrive as they all turned their heads his way as he came in.

He may have been mistaken, but he thought he saw a look of approval on Minerva McGonagall's face as she took in his smart appearance. He moved to stand next to Marcus Falconer, looking incredibly dashing in a two-piece outfit that somehow made Anders regret his choice, but he grinned at the other young wizard, ignoring the death stares coming from Severus Snape. It seemed nothing could faze him this evening.

"Severus doesn't approve." remarked Marcus to Anders. Noting the Potions Masters glances in their direction. Marcus was scanning the room as students from the various houses were coming in. He then excused himself from Anders side and went to have a brief word with Professor Dumbledore, who appeared to nod his head in agreement with something Marcus said to him. Marcus headed out the door passing Anders again as he did. "Alas, dangerous but necessary duty calls me away". Marcus exited the Great Hall.

With Marcus gone, Snape strode over to where Anders stood, looking relaxed and happy. "Not bad, Grimalkin," he said, in a sarcastic tone. "Scrub up well - for a prison rat, don't you?" Seeing the way this caused a flicker of hurt to cross the young man's face, the Potions Master sneered to himself and returned to his position. He was here only under sufferance anyway. Ridiculous concept, Valentine's Day. He stood, his arms folded firmly across his chest, shooting glowers at Grimalkin, simply because the young man was there. He still did not trust the young DADA Professor any further than he could comfortably have spit him.

Marcus passed in the hallway Kat, Sarah and Fiona and seemed especially pleased to see Kat. "Miss Black, ladies," he gave them a gracious bow and moved on. His destination was Gryffindor Tower though he was careful as he passed groups of students in their finery to make sure he hadn't missed her.

As he reached the hallway in front of the portrait hole that led to the Gryffindor common room, he was pleased to find Nimue coming down the dim-lit passageway. She stopped dead in her tracks and gave a little gasp of surprise, "So my Lady Nimue, am I to understand that on Valentine's Night of all nights, you have no escort?" His tone was teasing and even in the subdued light of the passage he could tell she was blushing slightly.

For one wild second in the hallway, before she recognized Marcus she had thought it might be Anders who had come to meet her. But of course it wasn't. She had a fairly good idea why Marcus was there as she had mentioned to him that she was going on her own to the Feast. "Marcus, so what's brought this on?" Nimue asked with a note of amusement in her voice.

"Well I was downstairs and was becoming concerned you might have locked yourself away in misery at the prospect of no one with whom to dance the night away. It came to me in a flash that this couldn't possibly be allowed. Therefore, as I am your protector, I thought it best to seek leave to combine those duties with the arduous task of escorting you to the Ball. So here I am."

"Well, when you put it that way, what girl could possibly refuse you." Nimue answered enjoying the banter. It was calming her nerves, which had been giving her butterflies for the past half-hour in anticipation of seeing Anders. Of course it never crossed her mind that part of Marcus' gallantry was to limit contact between his charge and Anders. Marcus offered Nimue his arm and they walked down the marble staircase, making their fashionably late entrance into the Great Hall, which had been splendidly decorated, for the event.

Kat, Sarah and Fiona wandered into the hall behind Nimue and Marcus. At Sarah's suggestion they went and got glasses of punch each and stood to one side of the hall watching people come in. Kat enjoyed watching people. It was amazing how they changed when they dressed up like this. She sipped her punch, which felt a little warm inside her. Around her neck she was wearing the necklace that Marvo had given her for Christmas. She had figured, jokingly to herself, that if anything were likely to go wrong at this ball, at least she'd see it coming.

Arcadia makes a 'fashionably late' entrance to the ball, Pantalaimon as always close by her side, his white fur gleaming more then usual. She wore a semi-transparent over robe of shimmering red, under which she wore an extremely tight and short red dress, cut low and off the shoulders. Her nails were slightly longer than usual and also a deep red. On her feet were red stilettos and she had a small red sparkling purse. Her blond hair was completely straight and down well below her shoulders as usual, but seems to shine like gold. Surprising (and to the annoyance of some) she actually looked very beautiful, although not at all like a 13 year old She smiled and swept into the room.

Nathan seems to be very pleased about his companion and gracefully gives her an old-fashioned bow and one of his nicest smiles. "A pleasure to see you it is every time you enter the room, Miss Fudge, but you have managed to do the impossible and top you usual beauty. May I?" He offers her his arm.

Arcadia beams. " Why thank you Sir. I think your worth the extra effort" She takes Nathan's offered Arm and allows herself to be lead. Pantalaimon rubs up against Nathan, and Arcadia shudders.

A few minutes later Arcadia enters she wanders over to the punch bowl. Although many eyes are on her she is very careful and after taking a goblet of punch she very secretly takes a small potion bottle and pours it's contents into the punch.

(Note: Basically just a single sip of punch will have the effect of 'loosening inhibitions' making your character act slightly drunk. Not falling over drunk, but merry and more likely to make a fool of themselves, or say things without thinking about it. It is of course up to you if your character drinks the punch or not, but I think it will be fun to see how people will act.)

Despite Snape's cruel words, Anders tried to brush them off. He had determined to make a concerted effort here tonight, and with that in mind, he walked away a little, putting some distance between himself and the loathsome old goat. His new position put him in the shadow of one of the rising pillars, where he could watch the comings and goings as he pleased, without being in Snape's line of sight.

He heard Marcus' voice and looked up to wave his friend over. He'd been told once, that when you were about to die, you knew. You had a flashing vision of everything that had happened in your life so far, and you accepted your fate with open arms. As he looked now on the angel that had come to sing him to his rest, his jaw dropped open and his breath caught so hard in his chest that he thought he had actually stopped breathing. She was stunning.

Yet far from making him bold and confident, the sight of Nimue looking so beautiful in that fantastic outfit, Anders found that it made him desperately unhappy about the widening gulf between them. She was like something from another world, something he could gaze at longingly, but never own, never lay claim to in any way. Snape was right. He was a prison rat, destined for nothing but a life of hardship. She was nobility. They were from opposite ends of the spectrum. And it almost broke his heart. He considered, there and then, simply turning tail and going back to his room, but something, some inner driving force he could not fathom, made him step out from the shadow of the pillar. Perhaps just to get a better look at her, because certainly nothing else in the room could possibly take his attention.

Marcus felt Nimue's slight hesitation and heard her intake of breath as Anders stepped away from the shadow of the pillar. He had anticipated this and figured that since he was there as her escort and chaperone, a little leeway might be granted. "I'm going to get us something to drink." he said to Anders as they got closer. "Keep a close eye on her while I'm gone. And you..." he turned to Nimue and admonished her with his finger, "no wandering off to the forest and no adventures while I am gone."

Hearing the musicians striking up a new piece, Professor McGonagall glanced around the room. Anders Grimalkin certainly did shine up nicely. Striding over, she smiled at him. "Would you like to dance, Anders?" Pleasantly aware of her new dress robes, she doesn't notice the students who are dropping into their chairs, helpless with mirth.

With Professor McGonagall's arrival, Marcus saw his plan to allow Nimue and Anders a brief moment together could be somewhat diverted. Therefore, with a wink in Anders direction, he spoke up: "My dearest Minerva, you look so ravishing tonight and I simply could not bear it if you did not have the first dance with me. I insist that Anders here wait his turn." With a graceful bow he held out his hand to lead her to the dance floor.

Professor McGonagall laughed merrily. "You are a gallant liar, Marcus," she told him, but allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor. Once there, she danced rather inexpertly, stepping on Marcus's feet.

Katia had been one of the first students to arrive. Wearing a muggle-style dress the color of arterial blood, which matched her lipstick and nail polish, she was standing by a very tall fifth-year who was saying something in a low voice. She laughed, and seemed to be enjoying herself, particularly when her fifth-year date seems to be unable to take his eyes away from her.

As Niki and Dylan enter the Great Hall, Katia whispers something to the fifth-year, who looks up and says loudly, "You know what? I think Rita Skeeter got it backwards. It must have been the Welsh kid who used the Love Charm. I didn't think any Slytherin girl would go with *that*!" Katia giggles appreciatively.

Dylan felt his temper flare as the Slytherin spoke. He knew this was coming, knew it in his bones that at least one person would make this difficult, given who they were, their Houses and that blasted article. But, to his credit, Dylan held his temper in check for the moment, and kept his head held up high, as if Katia and her date didn't exist. Niki grins. "You did better than I did," she whispers.

At that very moment, an owl flutters in the window. It drops a large red envelope at Snape's feet, and he bends over to open it. A magically magnified voice, not recognizable as any of the students', begins to speak. "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, SEVERUS DARLING!" The Howler collapsed into a pile of ash.

Minerva McGonagall was deeply amused at the expression on Snape's face, and only the years she'd put into training her features kept her from bursting out laughing like so many of the students. To distract herself, she went over for some punch. Sipping it, she felt surprised. It tasted much nicer than the punch at the last feast.

Snape had been getting increasingly more and more agitated as the Ball drew on, and when the Howler had arrived, he was positively steaming.

Muttering under his breath, and blaming Anders Grimalkin for everything from the Howler to any other major world crisis that had ever taken place, he strolled to the table and helped himself to a glass of punch. He downed it swiftly, ladling out a second before slipping back into the corner to watch the events in the room with inward-turned thoughtfulness.

When Snape's Howler arrives, Niki stops, trying to smother giggles, but they erupt and she collapses onto a nearby chair for a moment, gasping for breath.

Dylan couldn't help but laugh himself, his pale face flushing as he, too, dropped into a chair to ride out the wave of mirth. "I s'ppose we'll jus' sit here, then," he said, his eyes practically glittering with laughter.

Niki gestures to Professor McGonagall. "Look," she whispers. "What's wrong with McGonagall?"

Dylan looked to where Niki gestured, and sure enough, Professor McGonagall was asking Professor Grimalkin to dance or something along those lines. Dylan looked puzzled. "Dunno," he admitted. "She looks kinda...kinda silly, or sommat like tha'." It was hard to see his Head of House as a real person, or as a giggly woman for that matter. Dylan shrugged, and looked back to Niki.

Niki looked very seriously at Dylan, then her stern face cracked into a smile. "She looks really silly," she agreed. "Do you want to go and get something to drink?"

"Yeah, all right," he replied, and got up. Maneuvering deftly across the hall, and avoiding eye contact with any and all Slytherins, Dylan fetched some punch and brought back the two glasses. Handing one to Niki, he sat at the table, setting his before him. "I guess e'eryone's goin' a bit silly tonight if'n Professor McGonagall is allowed, y' know?" Dylan glanced at the punch, but didn't drink it yet, more content with watching Niki instead.

Niki sips her punch, feeling a tad uncomfortable at being regarded so closely. "Thank you," she says with a smile, trying to think of a topic of conversation.

It dawned on Dylan that he probably shouldn't have been watching her like that, and he dropped his eyes quickly, his cheeks flushing for a moment. This was not going well. He did not know how to do this, how to be charming like the other guys seemed to be. It was frustrating. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Niki looked confused. "For what?" she asked. She had a feeling she knew what he was apologizing for, but somehow she didn't really mind. "No, never mind," she said quickly, not wanting to embarrass Dylan any more than he already seemed to be. She saw Katia over Dylan's shoulder, muttering something under her breath.

He glanced up, and said, "No, it's all right. Jus'...I'm not very good a' this. I don't know what I'm s'pposed t' be doin', an' I know I'm not so charmin' like th' other guys. I'm lucky I can string a few words t'gether t' make a sentence." He turned a little in his seat, and saw Katia as well, though he paid her little mind.

Niki shakes her head. "Dylan... Don't be so... so down on yourself. I happen to think I have fairly good taste." She smiles a little, but she seems to have something on her mind.

"Runs in th' family, it does. Can't rightly help it." Something of a laugh escaped his lips and he looked up at her, his eyes still blue despite his unease. She seemed pensive, caught up in thought. "What is it?" Dylan asked gently.

"Oh, it's just HER..." Niki gestures towards Katia, who is now talking with the unnamed fifth-year. "She's just so... so... But, I mean, I suppose you'd expect a half-Veela to be nasty." She looks abashed. "I shouldn't have said that, Dylan."

Dylan looked openly puzzled, and he scratched his head a little. "Half-what? What's tha' mean?" He'd never heard of a Veela before. It sounded suspiciously like a kind of American cheese for which he once saw an advert.

Morticia enters the ball alone. She has put on one of her better robes, but that was all she decided to do. She sits down somewhere, staring out of a window and sighing and muttering something about "can't rely on anyone" and "valentine cards".

Katia detaches herself from her fifth-year, who looks forlorn, standing by himself. She sits down next to Morticia, smiling nicely. "Is something wrong, Morticia?"

"No, not at all." Morticia forces a smile. "You know, at the Yule Ball, I was... with Egreen." She sighs. "I miss him. I think I had a crush on him. And everything went so awful... well, no need to bother you, have fun with - whoever he is."

Katia smiles conspiratorially. "He's so... boring! I mean, look at him! He's just... staring at me, like he's got no brain of his own. Come and dance with someone. I'll find you someone...?" she offers, obviously making an effort to be nice.

Just then Morticia spots a surprising guest and leaves Katia alone...

"Missing Egreen, eh?" Katia murmurs to herself as she returns to the side of the unnamed fifth-year, who looks very happy to see her return.

He stood in the doorway, dressed head to foot in deep black velvet robes. His hair was long and tied back into a ponytail, both sides flecked with white. He looked reasonable muscular and trim, but that may be the cut of the robes. He smiled and uncrossed his arms. "Hello" It was Marvo!

Out of the blue Morticia appears in front of him. "M....?" she gasps, and then (poor Marvo) throws her arms around him and hugs him. "Marvo! What... Kat! Kat, look!"

Sarah's mouth drops open and she looks to see if Kat has noticed him yet.

*********

Nimue couldn't help smiling with deep appreciation at Marcus for his tact and his sacrifice. Still this wasn't likely to last long and turning to Anders she found herself completely lost for words. He looked fantastic in the dark blue dress robes that she almost felt embarrassed to look at him. She felt she must look very childish indeed wearing pink, when so many of the other girls were dressed in glamorous muggle wear looking much more grown up.

He should tell her how beautiful she looked, that he would be honoured to escort her to the dance floor, that he would simply die on the spot if she walked out the door...one of any number of things breezed through his mind. However, he appeared to have lost the power of speech.

When Marcus left them alone, a look of abject panic flickered across his face, quickly replaced by one of serene calmness. "Good evening, Miss Hawkwood," he said, softly, unable to take his eyes from her. "You look...enchanting tonight." For her benefit and nobody else's, he bowed his head forward, allowing the dragon pendant to fall out from the fold of his robes.

"Thank you Professor" Nimue noted his gesture and that he wore her gift. "You appear to be feeling better today?" She adored the feeling of talking to him in this crowded Hall. The moment felt timeless.

Anders nodded, not taking his eyes off her for one second. "I am...much better, thank you Miss Hawkwood." A frown crossed his face. "I apologize if I was...a little strange when we spoke yesterday. I had a terrible headache. Professor McGonagall gave me permission to rest, and a long sleep took the worst of the pain away." A small lie. He had not slept a wink, but Nimue did not have to know that.

"I am so happy to hear that Professor"; she answered keeping their conversation neutral. "And not to worry about our conversation, you were in pain and under stress. I understand."

He looked around, reluctantly pulling his eyes from her, and seemed to be considering. When he turned back, there was a shy smile on his lips. "I thought I must be wrong," he said, "but I see I am not. You are the most beautiful girl here tonight."

When he told her he considered her the most beautiful girl in the Hall, she smiled at him, blushing slightly and said softly so no one could hear "and the happiest girl in the world being here with you." She then turned to look for Marcus, "How long do you think Professor McGonagall will drag Marcus around the dance floor?"

"Who cares?" he said, a little cheekily. He took hold of her hand. "Let's see if we can out-dance them, shall we?" He certainly hadn't paid any attention whatsoever to Marvo's grand entrance.

*********

Randal wandered towards the Great Hall, and spotted Elia. "Why hello, beautiful lady. You look wonderful! May I escort you in?"

Elia smiles, a little shyly. "Thank you. You look very nice too." She holds out a slim brown hand.

Randal took the lead and led Elia to a table to one side of the Great Hall. "Hope this is ok." He pulled out a chair for her and helped her sit down.

"This is fine," Elia says, smiling. She seems relieved that the other Gryffindor-Slytherin couple has grabbed people's attention.

Nathan leads Arcadia to a table. "So, what do you want to-" he starts, but then he spots Marvo appearing and utters a low hiss.

Arcadia sees Marvo arrive and looks a little worried. Pantalaimon hides behind her.

Randal watched as the new comer entered. He noted Arcadia's nervousness. At least something had got through to her. But why did HE have to turn up. He turned to Elia, "would you like to dance?"

Elia smiles and stands up, looking over to the dancing pairs. Professor McGonagall seems to be permanently maiming Marcus's feet, and then her gaze rests on Anders and Nimue. Her eyes widen for a moment, then she murmurs, "Of course!" before shaking her head. "Yes, I'd love to dance."

**********

Marvo had been almost knocked off his feet by Morticia but soon regains his composure. He gives a nervous laugh " Morticia? Wow Tish! Wow. Your hair! " He smiles.

Kat had spotted him instantly (she had of course been watching the door in the vain hope that he might have been able to turn up even though he told her he couldn't!), and before anyone can say anything she runs up to him and jumps straight into his arms. She wraps her arms round him and kisses him on the lips. "You made it!" she gasps breathlessly, grinning so much that it is difficult to imagine that she doesn't smile all the time!

Marvo (with great respect) pulls Morticia to one side and catches Kat, returning her kiss. " My, wow, you look fantastic! " He hugs her very close. Marvo seems a lot more 'buff' than before, and a little taller. Also his hair seems to have grown a lot in just 6 weeks.

Kat hugs back. "It is wonderful to see you! And, you can tell you have been working out!" She squeezes the top of his arm. "Look! Muscles!" She grins up at him. She reaches up and touches his hair, "Not the only thing you've been working on either by the look of you. Have you been growing too?"

Kat giggled a little, "So you want to do more kissing then?" She had thought about mentioning the wand thing, but people might be listening and she didn't want to embarrass him too much.

Marvo goes red (some things don't change) " Kaaatt!" He whines, obviously embarrassed. He smiles. " Yes. Mad eye... Mr. Moody has been pushing me quite hard " Kat notices that Marvo hand feels strange, cold.

Suddenly, Niki stands up and darts over to Marvo. "Marvo! Hi, welcome back!" She smiles very widely.

Marvo decides it's best to move away from the doorway now, seeing as he is starting to create a little crowd.

" Niki! Oh Gosh it's so good to see you all. Shall we take a seat?" He is beaming.

Andy had been trying to fix his hair just right for the past half-hour. He knew he was going to be late, but that was better than not going at all. He surprisingly looked very well dressed in muggle clothing. A nice pair of pants, shirt, and blazer made him look dashingly handsome. He made sure he had everything with him, and hurriedly swept out of the room.

After walking through a couple of corridors, he finally arrived at the ball. He looked around to see Kat, Nimue, Dylan, Niki, everyone was there! This would be a great ball.

After saying Hi to a couple of people he went to the punch bowl. He was about to drink a sip of punch when something stopped him. He looked up. His jaw dropped. Standing right in front of him was his pal, his buddy, his best friend in the whole world. Standing right in front him was Marvo.

"Andy! Wow. Great to see you! All of you!"

*******

Nimue is completely oblivious to Marvo having arrived as she is so wrapped up in these stolen moments. "Dance?" her heart was beating very rapidly as she allowed him to led her onto the dance floor. This was magical.

There was nobody in the room, nobody on the dance floor. There was only the two of them, his hand lightly around her waist, holding her at the respectable distance that Charis had taught him he should dance with a lady. The difference was...Nimue WAS a lady. Charis had just been...it didn't matter what she had been.

He was a graceful dancer, light on his feet and very considerate as he led his lady around the dance floor, his slender form giving him a grace that was almost sinuous in its movement. Occasionally he would move his head a little closer to her and once or twice, his loose hair brushed across her face.

"Can we make every night Valentine's night?" he asked softly, his voice wistful and filled with a strange kind of pain.

"I wish we could" she replied softly. She loved to dance and was delighted with the way in which Anders danced with her. She could dance with him all night quite happily.

Nimue had to keep reminding herself that this was a moment they'd been granted by Marcus. She'd suspected he was a romantic at heart though perhaps he'd not expected to be quite so carried off by Professor McGonagall to allow them this.

Still there were enough people on the dance floor to allow them just enough privacy yet for it to remain completely proper. She knew it was important that decorum was strictly maintained but still thrilled when he moved closer to her. It would be so easy....

********

Randal takes Elia and whisks her onto the dance floor. He holds her close and leads her through the dance. He is swift on his feet, and Elia doesn't feel like she has to put any effort into it at all. He has, of course, been trained to dance at balls and the like.

As they dance they draw closer to Nimue and Anders. "Looks like they are having fun! Although I don't think I'd want to be Marcus." He whispers to Elia, grinning.

"I don't think his feet will ever be the same," Elia whispers back. She's not a bad dancer, very light on her feet, but she hadn't had much opportunity to learn. She smiles, enjoying herself tremendously.

Katia and Unnamed, her fifth-year date, are dancing very close, and the fifth-year still seems unable to take his eyes from her. Katia looks exceedingly bored.

*******

Marvo keeps one hand around Kat's waist and takes Morticia by the hand. Then he glances over to the dance floor and sees a young man dancing with Nimue. He recognizes the robes and the ones Marcus wore for the announcement in London and therefore assumes that she is dancing with Marcus, so he smiles and looks back. " So. What have I missed?"

Niki smiles. "You missed a Howler to Professor Snape giving him Valentine's Day greetings... and did you see that horrible article by Rita Skeeter?"

" Snape got a Valentine Howler?" Marvo smiled, "I'm sorry I missed that! And yes I saw the article. had 'Arcadia Fudge' written all over it! "

Niki glances back over her shoulder. "Oh, dear... I'd better go back to Dylan. I just ran off." She smiles again, then turns back to the table they had been sitting at.

As Marvo leads them away from the door he suddenly stops and looks a little confused. " Did she say Dylan? "

Niki turns. "Yes, I said Dylan..." She looks confused, and gestures towards him. "He asked me to the feast... Why?"

Marvo looks slightly more confused. " Asked you? I... I thought he was... seeing Nimue?"

Niki looks extremely confused. "Umm... Not to my knowledge," she says, looking back at Dylan.

She hurries back, sitting down. "I'm so sorry, Dylan, I didn't mean to run off like that. But... why does Marvo Ward think you were seeing Nimue?"

"Nimue?" he asked confusedly, looking up. "It's all right tha' you ran off...heard a bit about him, people talkin' in th' Common Room. But why would I be seein' Nimue? She's in my House, an' I like her well enough, but I've ne'er said more than three words put t'gether t' her." Dylan frowned, the blue in his eyes darkening to a stormy gray. "More rumours, then?"

"I don't know." Niki looks deeply confused. "I don't know Marvo that well, but I don't think he's really the sort to spread rumors." She shrugs. "Well, it doesn't matter. Oh, and Veela? They're magical creatures... they look like women, really beautiful women, but they make men sort of... well... crazy about them. Like that boy-" she gestures to Unnamed- "is about Katia? Well, her mother's a Veela, and that's why he's like that." She grins. "It's a bit funny, really. I don't suppose he knows."

After a few moments silence, she offers her hand. "Do you want to dance? I promise to try not to step on your feet... *too* much..." She grins evilly.

Dylan chuckled, and as his anger diffused, his eyes settled back to blue. "I'll try t' do th' same fer you," he told her, taking her hand gently. She seemed so small next to him, delicate, almost. Dylan rather liked that. Like a perfect gentleman, imitating what he had seen the others do, he stood and bowed to Niki, his hair falling in his eyes as he did so. "M' lady."

Niki feels very small, but, unusually, this isn't as bad a thing as usual. She feels safe, rather than shrunken, as she takes his hand and they walk to the dance floor.

As he saw the others do, Dylan brought Niki to him, his one hand at her waist, his other holding hers. Music ran in his blood, after all he was Welsh, and he had no problems finding the rhythm, the beat almost matching that of his heart. Trying to remember everything he'd ever seen of dancing like this, he started to move in time, feeling a little awkward, but in all honesty, not doing too badly. At least he wasn't stepping on her feet. "How am I doin'?" Dylan asked softly, squeezing her hand a little.

"Better than I am," Niki whispered back, her head resting on Dylan's chest. She had, of course, had some experience dancing in the past, but this was... different. She wondered idly what Hadrian would say when she told him about this, and, imagining his taunts, her face colored a bit.

"You're doin' fine," Dylan murmured softly. "Arddunol." He knew she didn't understand the Welsh, but he didn't know how to express himself as well as he ought to in English. But that really didn't seem to matter just then, with her head resting on his chest, with her just so close to him. He suspected that he would hear an earful from McGonagall and Snape for violating some archaic rules about House interaction, but at that moment, Dylan didn't care. He was dancing with the most beautiful girl on the floor, and having the time of his life.

Winifred entered the Great Hall, admiring the decor and enjoying the lighthearted atmosphere. She wore an elegant, empire-waisted, medieval-style dress. It was constructed out of a matte black material with cranberry satin trim. Her dark hair was lightly curled with small cranberry colored flowers situated in it.

Gazing around the room, she noticed Niki and Dylan dancing. She smiled to herself. "So that's who the mystery man is..." Moving on, she also looked for the elusive Kalidor, but did not see him. The refreshment table looked inviting, so she helped herself to some of the punch. "This is some good punch!" She quickly finished her glass and filled up another.

She situated herself at a table and watched the dancing couples. She longed to be out there. Just then, a dashing fourth year caught her eye. They made eye contact and Winifred smiled, trying to be as inviting as she could.