[Emerson Manor] Let's dance. [Ministry Fundraiser Ball~]

—NPC: Larissa Odell—
((This post is a joint effort between Dylan and Joethrine, mostly the latter))

After months of planning, Larissa reached out to straighten the tablecloth on the registration table. Everything was ready to go, ready for the guests to come. She couldn’t thank the Emerson family enough for offering the use of their city manor for the benefit. The place was beautiful, both inside and out. The serenity of Hyde Park's grounds was said to be magical, and for a fair expanse of it, it literally was. Unbeknownst to Muggles, a hectare of the Royal Park was carved out as a site for one of the Emerson's estates in town. For centuries the grounds had been open for wizards to Apparate to and relax, but had been shuttered and all but abandoned during the Wizarding Wars. Since the Dark Lord's final defeat, the wizarding community slowly rose from the rubble and darkness, and the Emersons' reopening of their estates, coinciding with this fundraising event, reflected the resiliency and optimism of the magical world.

Wards and guards were lowered to allow guests to Apparate once again, with the fireplaces also connected to the Ministry's Floo network. But, for those who wished a more leisurely walk to the estate, one simply had to tap their wand at the western lamppost of Serpentine Bridge, which would cause a fork to form, in turn leading to a path that ran parallel to the Muggle's Peacock Walk. During the day, the path seemed as tranquil and as mundane as its muggle counterpart, but in the evenings, the trees and bushes that lined the way glowed with fairy lights as they hovered about the flora. The path widened as it opened up to the main grounds, where deer roamed freely. However, nary a foal was seen that evening, as the Emersons were busy hosting the event. Extra strings of twinkling lights were placed along the path overlooking the Long Water, up to the manor house itself. Larissa and the others hadn’t done much with the outdoors, save the additional lighting. It was striking enough to not need much else in way of decoration. Located on the northern end of the path, the house was built adjacent to the Italian gardens, as the Emersons were quite appreciative of the Muggle landscapers who had designed much of the parks. It had lovely views of the fountains, the water, and the neighbouring Kensington Gardens on the opposite bank. The manor house itself was fairly small, a Tudor style Victorian home that held about two dozen rooms, and remained empty for much of the year except when entertaining foreign Ministry Officials or hosting events, such as this.

While the grounds were maintained to look natural, the interiors of the house were bright and slightly more formal, gilded with Rococo facades and art nouveau accents. Light woods and rose marble kept the atmosphere warm and more cozy to balance out the manor's stately outward edifice. The layout of the house changed much over the years, especially the first level, as the dining parlour annexed neighbouring rooms to host more guests, until it became large enough to be considered a hall. The great chamber had been converted into a library, and aside from a sunroom and a few bathrooms, not much else remained. The upper floor were all bedrooms, each with its own private bath. Furnishings were generally spare, often in airy blue hues in the spirit of Ravenclaw, the House where most Emersons had been sorted to. However, with Larissa and many of the Ministry wives organising the event, the dining hall had been lavishly decorated. There were tables scattered around the back of the room, covered in dusty-pink tablecloths. There were fresh white and pink roses in the centre, displayed in regal golden vases. Several high-backed chairs were nestled in comfortably, with new cushions padded in for comfort. A stage had also been constructed at the front of the room, where the Disk Jockey was beginning to settle in, with just enough room for Larissa or the others to make the announcements when the time came to thank the others from attending. The original long tables were banished away, leaving a wide, wooden dance floor in front of the stage.

The interesting bits, though, were along the side of the room. In the back, there were tables lined with an assortment of food, donated by the Bane family. Most of these were small hors d'oeuvres, cold cuts, and vegetable trays, but some of the selections were on the heartier side. If that wasn’t enough, though, the Crust & Crumbs sweets, donated by Geri Trickett, were piled high on the table adjacent. Even Larissa, herself, had trouble keeping away from it.

However, the place she thought might get the most attention was the bar in the back. Water and fizzy drinks were available free of charge, but alcohol was also available for a small donation, donated by the Krause and Bane families. Larissa thought she would need to hunt down Mr. and Mrs. Bane, personally, to thank them for what they generously gave to the cause.

Even so, it wasn’t just the main room that was decorated; the preparations covered the entire first floor. In the west wing, which connected the dining hall to the library, were works donated by the artist Gregoire Cartier, being displayed for the silent auction. It had taken hours to set the manor up for this, but Larissa was sure that it was going to be well worth the time and effort the team (and their husbands), had put into it. They had already sold over a hundred tickets to friends, family, other members of the ministry, and they had a table set up by the door for any stragglers. Since the locale, food, and drinks were all donated, the event seemed like it would be profitable, even without considering the sizable monetary donations they had received. All in all, everything seemed set up to be a wonderful success.

The long-anticipated Fundraiser Ball was at last underway, and it seemed his mother’s hard work had paid off.  She had been agonizing over the event for months, and he knew she’d put a lot of effort into organizing it.  It was certainly the most elaborate party Theoren had ever attended, and with how many people had turned up, it was sure to be a success.  Theoren was grateful Aline had agreed to come with him, for he would have much rather attended something like this with someone he knew.  It wouldn't have felt right to bring a stranger to an event like this, full of his coworkers and family.  He and Aline were old friends; they’d fallen out of touch after graduation, only reconnecting recently, but he was happy that they had.  He was extremely fond of her.  Theoren didn’t exactly know if her agreeing to go with him meant anything to her, or if they were just going as friends, but he was nervous about it nevertheless.  He didn’t like being nervous.  It was a very unusual feeling for him.

And to think he’d asked her as a joke.  Well, the asking part had been serious, but he’d made it sound like he was kidding, trying to keep it as light as possible so that if she wanted to refuse, she could get away with it easily.  He had actually been a little bit surprised when she agreed.  As per her suggestion, he’d stopped by her flat to pick her up, and together they’d travelled to Serpentine Bridge, for his mother had promised that the walk up to the estate was splendid.  The bushes twinkled with fairy light, and it was lovely, but Theoren had been far more interested in his conversation with Aline than the scenery.

Not long after that, inside the manor, he was fetching her a drink from the bar.  “Here you are,” he said, handing the glass over to her and feeling suddenly like he was fifteen years old again, for he was strangely reminded of being at the Yule Ball with Cloé all those years ago.  But he wasn’t fifteen anymore, and he and Aline weren’t and had never slept together, so obviously it was very different.  As he sipped from his own glass, Theoren scanned the room for a familiar face.  He hadn’t seen Lorin since earlier that day.  He knew she would be attending and that she had a date, but she wouldn’t say much more on the subject.  He’d always been very protective of her, but after what she’d revealed to him at the beginning of the summer (not to mention all of the horror stories she’d shared with him since, the likes of which he couldn’t get out of his head), he felt like he needed to keep an extra close watch on her.  Whoever it was that she was bringing, Theoren needed to see the bloke so that he could size him up and determine if he was worthy of dating his sister.  He kept an eye out for her as he and Aline mingled with the other patrons, most of whom he knew from work.

He was a little bit uncomfortable in his suit, and kept having the urge to loosen his necktie.  Theoren wasn’t used to being dressed so formally.  Aline, meanwhile, was looking stunning in her gown, and he’d told her so when he’d picked her up, trying not to sound too predatory as he complimented her.  He didn’t want to be that guy… didn’t want her to think he was hitting on her.  Because he wasn’t.  What was the matter with him?  He never questioned himself this much.  Hopefully the amber liquid sloshing around in his glass would help him out with that.  “So,” he said, picking up from where he’d left off a moment ago, “we somehow ended up in China.  China, of all places.  It was… insane.”  Theoren chuckled, shaking his head.  “But that’s probably the craziest thing I’ve done in a while.  And I’m sure it can’t compare to your stories,” he said, winking at her as he brought the glass to his lips once more.

The things she did for her friends…

Aline smiled politely at one of her father's colleagues but as soon as she passed him, the smile faded. Urgh. Being here made her remember why she was living on her own, making her own money and not relying on her parents. Yes, it was great to wear the red gown and yes, it was nice to be here with Theoren but she could definitely do without all those snobby ministry officials and socialites that were here tonight. She had already spotted her father in the crowd talking loudly and getting most of the attention. Her mother had been standing next to him, smiling at his words and nodding at the right moments. They knew perfectly well what others wanted to see and it made her roll her eyes. This was just so unnecessary.

When Theo had asked her a few days ago if she wanted to accompany him she'd thought about declining his offer at first but then she had remembered that her brothers would surely be there as well since they were all working at the ministry now and the thought of seeing Seth there had been her main reason for her agreeing eventually. Max would be there as well and then she could talk to Alice, who would probably feel just as uncomfortable between all those snobs as she would. Laughing softly, she had told him that he had to pick her up, just like a proper date, and that was exactly what he'd done. Her friend was definitely a gentleman.

Theoren looked dashing in his suit and while they had been walking up to the estate, she hadn't been able to deny that she enjoyed his company. Even though they had only reconnected a short while ago, she felt as if they'd never fallen out of touch in the first place. The former Gryffindor was pretty sure that this wasn't a date, they were just here as friends, but to some extent it felt like one. Well, she definitely wouldn't mind if people thought they were a couple. Maybe all those arrogant asses would actually leave her alone then.

"Thank you," the girl replied, smiling brightly at her friend. Aline took a big gulp, knowing exactly that it wasn't really ladylike but she didn't care. Maybe the alcohol would make it easier to smile at all the pathetic wannabes that were surrounding her. Theo still looked rather uncomfortable in his suit and she laid her hand on his arm reassuringly. "I told you that you look great. That girl over there has been staring at you for quite some time now." She winked before she tilted her head a little to the side so that he'd know who she meant. The short distraction was over soon and they continued where they'd left off. "China? Oh, I bet that it was insane. I know a bit about her through Elaine, her best friend. You might have met her? Anyway, I've heard that the girl is crazy. It was fun though, wasn't it?" This time she only took a sip of her drink before she let her gaze wander through the room.

She'd already spotted Max and Amos but Seth was nowhere to be seen. "I have to admit that I'm really curious to see who my younger brother's date is. You remember him, right? Little Seth…" Aline knew that he wasn't little anymore but he'd forever stay her little Seffy, no doubt about that. "What's with your little sister? She has to be sixteen or seventeen by now as well, right?"

Rich people were a wonder. They never ceased to amaze him with just how much money they could throw around.

As Two arranged two delicate wine glasses on the pink tablecloth, he looked around the room with a mixture of amazement and disgust. This was possibly the most beautiful room he'd ever been in. It was elegant and subtle and lacey, though maybe a bit too pink for his taste. It was a lavishly decorate room in a beautiful house on a gorgeous estate, and Two felt like he was lowering the standards just by being there in his black and white waiter uniform. He had spent a good amount of time diligently scrubbing himself raw to get rid of the grease and dirt he'd all but bathed in earlier. Not to mention he'd actually combed his hair (a little) and begrudgingly shaved his summer soup-catcher off. He and Marcel were having a beard-growing contest to see whose chin whiskers were most voluptuous and manly, but honestly, it was getting just a little too scratchy for comfort. Marcel didn't seem to mind, mostly because he entertained himself by tying things to his face with the few hairs he did have.

While Two finished up the table, he scanned the rest of them to make sure they were all presentable. If not, he was going to get to boss his peons around some more and he was actually pretty okay with that. Something to the right caught his eye and he moved in for a closer look. Everything was perfectly set, as it was supposed to be, but someone had folded a crane out of an extra napkin cloth and left it on the table. Two was about to shake the cloth out and use it to smack his brother (no doubt the artist) in the head, but his hand hovered just an inch above it. Damn. That was the best crane he had ever seen in his life. The corners were perfectly crisp and the wings fanned out in a very delicately bird-like way. Two stood in front of it, staring for a few more disbelieving seconds before casually picking it up and placing it inside the bouquet in the center of the table. It looked surprisingly at home nestled between the roses and hydrangea bundles.

Satisfied, Two proceeded to stroll away from the table as quickly a possible, walking up and down the sides of the room examining all of the food displays. Someone, one of his minions probably, had done a very good job arranging all the food on the tables. How could they not? Madam Larissa, as he had come to call her in his head because he didn't know her last name and just addressed her as madam, had very set expectations and anything short would be unacceptable, possibly even punishable by death. Or log rolling. Huh, he didn't know what rich people did as punishment these days. Maybe he'd get thrown in the stocks and people would throw rotten, squishy fruit at him. Either way, it was very important that neither he nor his staff screwed up today. They, or at least he and Marcel, were getting paid and exorbitant amount of money for a waiter's gig at this ball. Anything that paid this well was going to get done abso-freaking-lutely perfectly.

People were starting to arrive now and Two scanned the room again, trying to keep track of all the other waiters. He counted a few but could not locate Marcel's curly head of hair and newly shaven-face, something that worried him slightly. Two made his way to the back and picked up a silver tray of some sparkly water things and held it aloft with one hand, in his best waiter stance. He moved to a couple to his left, but it looked like they already had drinks. Two recognized them as Hogwarts graduates, particularly the woman. She was Stanton's older sister, if he recalled correctly. Wow. She was much more attractive than he expected of someone related to Seth. So that was where all the good genes went. The man with her, the one with the long hair, was also familiar, he just couldn't place him.

Two veered off to the right and offered a few more people the sparkly things, emptying his tray. He returned to the back to get it refilled for the next person to pick up, then he walked away, hands clasped behind his back as he tried to look both authoritative and friendly. He was tasked with making sure the wait staff did their job admirably and he was going to make sure everything was ship-shape for Madam Larissa's super important/expensive/fancy-pants/ how-the-hell-do-you-have-enough-money-for-this ball. He continued to circulate the ballroom,  keeping an eye out for Marcellus and anymore napkin cranes.

Marcellus Wolfram didn't do well in fancy places. First came the awe, the check out these fancy tablecloths, Two! and the sweet baby Merlin, there are so many utensils! Two, look, there are more forks on one table than we have in our entire house! Marcel didn't really know much about nice things, but he knew when he couldn't afford something, and the only thing he could afford in this room was a butter dish. Maybe. If he pooled all of his savings and possibly next year's birthday money. He stared at all of the finery as he nudged the fancy folded napkins into place, listening to the murmurs of the waitstaff and inhaling the smell of rich-people houses. They probably had house elves fanning all of the food fumes away.

After the awe came the jealousy. That chandelier was probably some priceless artifact from Boris the Bewildered or Gregory the Smarmy or something, and it probably costed like a million Galleons. The bar, which Two had expressly told him he was not allowed, under any circumstances to steal a drink from, was a clean white counter thing with pink lights cast onto it and out the sides. Marcel wanted to see for himself how many different types of liquor rich people kept in their bars, but everything was tucked away in its proper place. He hoped that he'd be allowed to tend bar--mixing drinks was fun, and he knew a couple of admittedly disgusting ones that could get these people really wrecked. But that was probably not the best idea and they probably wouldn't even let him do it anyways, so he tore his eyes away from the bottles. Gold vases held bouquets of flowers, and there was a vase on each table. When Marcel had gone to the grocery store to buy flowers for his mother's birthday, he'd discovered that a bouquet of roses costed more than a family-size package of toilet paper, so he'd bought the toilet paper instead and scribbled his name on the tag of Octavia's gift.

But after the awe and jealousy wore off, Marcel was back to his usual self, and what the usual Marcel needed was money. This was a Very Fancy Occasion, one that was paying him and his brother a lot of money, so he'd regretfully shaven off twelve of the thirteen beard hairs he'd been cultivating all summer and slicked back the dark mop on his head. The stupid hairstyle and the chin-baldness, along with the sleeves of the white button-up shirt (unrolled, which made his arms resemble balloons) made him feel a bit silly. If this was how fancy people felt, it was no wonder that they spent so much time wallowing in their money all day. Marcel couldn't think of any better cure for embarrassment.

He cast quick glance up at Two, who was across the room, probably being all stoic and bossy because that was how he got when they were around rich people. Keeping his eyes trained on his brother, he made the final inside reverse fold on the napkin whale's tail. Marcellus was very good origami, but he was even better at pretending to be busy, and he'd been doing both for the last ten minutes. He moseyed past the refreshments table, past the table where he'd secretly put a napkin crane. While Two's back was turned, tucked the whale into the space between the red and white wine glasses at one of the dining settings. (The fact that rich people used different wineglasses for different wine colors was something that Marcellus was very surprised to learn.) When Two turned back around, Marcel was already looking very productive helping another waiter finish sorting out the sweets display.

People had already begun arriving, but Marcel managed to pick up a tiny fruit tart and stick it in his mouth when no one was looking. It got a bit complicated when an older lady was tried to get a flute of sparkly water from him while he was chewing, but he swallowed as he pretended to cough. When he "recovered" enough to give a heartfelt apology, no lingering crumbs flew from his mouth. A win. He didn't recognize most of the people. There was an extremely attractive lady in a red dress that looked vaguely familiar and he thought he'd seen a couple of faces on the front of The Daily Prophet, but it wasn't like Marcellus made a habit of reading things he didn't have to, so it might have all been his imagination.

As someone took the last glass on his tray, he spied his brother again, looking stupid and walking around with his hands behind his back. After he refilled his tray, he balanced it on one hand and tiptoed over to Two. With his free hand, he stroked the remaining beard hair under his chin. It was only a couple of millimeters long, which was how he'd gotten away with not shaving it.

"Hey, Two," he said under his breath. It wouldn't do for the lady who'd hired them to notice him fraternizing with other waiters. "Check out my beard." He tilted his head up a bit so Two could get a good look, and then put it down again. After a furtive glance at the party-going rich people, he said, "I win." Then he scurried away with his tray of sparkling water before Two could quietly slap the back of his head, because then he'd quietly slap the back of Two's head, and then someone (not Marcel) would be getting in a quiet headlock, and Marcel didn't particularly want to get them fired. Quietly fired, of course, because it wasn't like rich people would do it any other way.

If there was one thing that Rosaline did not want to do, it was to attend some Ministry benefit. However, she felt that, as a Bane, it would only due to attend an event that her family was, in part, sponsoring. Why they were doing it was obvious, of course: they didn't truly support the Ministry, and must have only been offering their help because they wanted to look good. After all, a great many of them were Dark Wizards and former Death Eaters. How else would they manage to keep people from noticing the small detail of their true allegiance? Which they simply had to do. They couldn't let the other families, including the families of the important wizards that they sold their potions to, know that they ever so secretly sold illegal and mind-altering potions. Besides, if the Banes went down, they would surely bring the high-and-mighty politicians with them. And we couldn't have that, now could we?

Aside from her duty to her family, Rosaline also felt some sort of sense of duty towards her good friend, Lorin Odell. Lorin's own mother, Larissa Odell, was mostly to thank for the benefit itself. From what Rosaline understood, Mrs. Odell had done the majority of the organizing of the event. The Emersons had offered their city manor for the event to be held in, while the Banes had offered food and drink, the Krauses had also offered drink, Geri Trickett [from an alright-enough halfblood family, she supposed] had donated sweets, and a French artist who Tegan had befriended years ago, Gregoire Cartier, had donated his artwork. All in all, it seemed like it would be a very successful event for the Ministry. She would have to remember to hunt Mrs. Odell down, at some point, and let her know what an exquisite job she and the other Ministry wives had done...

All the same, Rosaline was finding this benefit to be just as boring as the countless others that she had been forced to attend. The only good thing, in fact, was the alcohol that her family and the Krause family had donated. She had been sure to help herself to a glass of wine, so far, but nothing else. However, she had every intention of having more. Just not enough to get her piss drunk or anything. Her mother would just love that. Speaking of, there her mother was now... flirting with some, probably married, man... It didn't matter that she was now going to be a Hogwarts Professor: some things never changed.

Taking another sip from her glass, Rosaline scanned the room. There was Lorin's older brother, Theoren. He appeared to be accompanied by Aline Stanton, her friend Seth's sister. Lucky woman. Though she kept her opinions on the matter to herself, she had always found Theoren to be very handsome. However, he was very much off-limits. Still, she understood that he was quite the gentleman. You just didn't find many of those anymore. Anyway...

Oddly enough, she also seemed to recognize the waiters. They were her old housemates. Marcellus and Tiberius Wolfram. They were a year younger than her, and she had never really gotten to know them [nor had she particularly felt compelled to], but it was somehow still a little off to see a Slytherin serving someone else in this sort of a setting... Then again, she supposed that waiters did come in all shapes and sizes. Hopefully, after graduation, they would make more of themselves than just servants. She, for example, was going to be a highly skilled, highly trained potions mistress one day. Perhaps she might even someday replace her mother as Potions Professor? Hm. Now, there was a thought...

At any rate, even with as little as she thought of most people, somehow she felt very lonely standing there by herself. Of course, she had done some mingling already, but not with anyone that she particularly enjoyed spending time talking to. She'd spoken with a few older women, but nobody really interesting... Not yet, at least.

Months. Lorin had obsessed over this event for months for just one throwaway remark. “I was thinking about skipping, but I think I’ll just take you.” Doubtlessly, it was the most casual way that Lorin had ever been asked anywhere, but it was more than enough to get her in a dither. She couldn’t really explain what Seth did to her, let alone why. That being said, every breath he uttered that made it seem as though he recognized her existence left her tingling, head-to-toe.

Her response to his suggestion had been incredibly embarrassing, as she had actually let her carefully-crafted cool calm falter at her surprise. She had already had a date to this event; she had asked her friend Conall Regan to escort her. However, she had only done this because she never thought she would have the opportunity to go with who she really wanted to.  She would have never mustered up the courage to ask Seth to take her, and she hadn’t even really thought about it as a possibility.

It was just a benefit, anyway. It wasn’t anything important enough for her to get stressed over, she thought. She’d asked a date as to not be alone and bored the entire night. Regan would have been mediocre company. She had made him promise to behave like a human being, and he was attractive and somewhat interesting... the biggest and most obvious plus to Regan was that she really cared very little of what he thought about her. She allowed herself to be much more open in his presence than with any other person she knew. For a night, he would have been an easy choice and a guarantee for an unmemorable but decent night out.

With Seth, all of that was completely stood on its head. She knew that she would spend the whole night worrying about what she said and how she looked, fearing his judgment, afraid of boring him or losing his interest. She knew that she would likely be stiff and humorless, possibly err on the side of pretention and aloofness... but all of the stress and worrying and fear, it all seemed strangely worth it just to have the privilege of being beside him. No matter how much she feared their meetings, she always found that she enjoyed it far more than she dreaded it. Of course, considering the way their last meeting ended, there were more than just emotional pleasures to be derived from his company...

All this considered, Lorin was aware that she had been an afterthought to Seth. It wasn’t as if he had thought about it and then asked her because he wanted to go with her, but it was still enough. She didn’t even have the slightest second thought when she accepted his invitation, nor the smallest twinge of guilt as she delivered the news to Regan that his services were no-longer required.

After that, despite Lorin’s efforts to keep calm and talk down its importance to her, it was very obvious that Lorin was more invested in this meeting than she wanted others to think. She took back the dress she had originally picked out and bought out a different one, she looked through magazines for ideas on how to wear her hair, she manicured her nails in at least three colors before she decided on the deep red that matched her lipstick. In short, she fussed. She couldn’t help it. Everything needed to be just right, and she knew that even if everything was somehow perfect, she’d still be more than a little self-conscious of whatever she’d chosen.

She started to get ready hours early, bathing, fixing her hair, checking her nails and makeup, before she even stepped into her dress. When she finally was ready, she spent the last twenty minutes checking everything in the mirror, tucking her hair into place and smoothing things out. She knew her parents had hoped to be home to see her off, but both Oliver and Larissa were already at the benefit, setting up for the guests. Theoren, who Lorin suspected might have also liked to have a chance to look over her date, had left to pick up his. These were good things as far as Lorin was concerned.

Lorin found that the silence was calming, and she was happy to know that none of her immediate family would be able to embarrass her right from the stop. None of them would be able to give away how much she had been worrying over it. It was nothing. They were just going as friends. It was just one night, not any different than the last time they went to a ball together. She reminded herself of that several times before the doorbell finally rang.

Greeting him wasn’t nearly as awkward as she feared. She was surprised at how kind he was to her, which made her feel a little better about their night to come. She locked up the house quickly, and soon they were there. She continued to hold onto him until they were inside, stealthily dodging her mother at the greeting table. As soon as she entered the main hall, though, she paused for a moment to take it all in. It was gorgeous! Lorin knew that her mother wasn’t the only person involved in making this come together, but the place was larger than she imagined it was be and far more beautiful than she had ever thought. For a boring benefit party, this looked great.

She turned to Seth. “Wow,” She smiled. “I didn’t expect all this.” Lorin admitted. “What would you like to do first?”

((Seth mentions approved by Ashton))