17 June 1893 - Valenduris Ball, Italy

Reginald wasn’t sure if he was cursed or if he had just plain bad luck, but sometimes things just didn’t go right. He’d jumped at the opportunity to attend a ball in Italy simply because he could — he loved London, especially now that he got to see Felix’s face every day, but sometimes it was nice to be somewhere new. Plus Sabine was one of his best friends and he couldn’t not go to support her in her time of need, and now he had ammunition to poke at her when she was being particularly teasing toward him; with a quick look around, Reginald quickly decided he hadn’t seen her in quite some time, although his dear friend was probably hiding out somewhere. Maybe he’d have to find her.

So before deciding to put his names on some dance cards (the worst part of a ball because his tail was still tucked between his legs from being rejected for a dance at the beginning of the year), Reg took a glass of champagne off a tray to set off to explore the gardens. Of course, luck was never quite on his side nowadays, and as soon as he stepped away from the table a pesky fairy came barreling in from an opened door near the balcony, knocking over the entire champagne tower. Glass and liquid shattered across the ground, making a few people yelp and skitter back, Reg included. The last thing he wanted was for sopping wet shoes on the dance floor. But of course he was trying to be a gentleman while did so, so his hand wrapped around the arm of the nearest person to tug her back, too. His feet squelched against the wet floor as he turned toward his companion — Reg could’ve crawled into a hole and died right then and there as looked toward the lovely Miss Malfoy.

---

Victoire Malfoy / FYI Anthony Alderton

---

The following 1 user Likes Reginald Alderton's post:1 user Likes Reginald Alderton's post
   Anthony Alderton

---

With courting fully underway and Torie quite content with her life, she was enacting a new plan to ensure a smooth transition; charm all as many of Anthony's relatives as she could to the best of her ability. Thankfully Poppy was already covered and the Foxwood brothers, well, they were a battle for another time. Torie did still want to get to know the new Mrs. Foxwood a little better. At least they were close in age and hopefully could have an amicable relationship, whatever Atticus thought of her these days.

And so she had moved onto the Alderton siblings. She had started with Miss Tillie, and to some degree, had done the best she could. The pair could not be any more different, but she was starting to understand Tillie's disdain for the whole charade of the season; Torie was growing tired of it as well. She enjoyed the social aspect certainly, but now that the hunt for a husband was (hopefully!) over, it was starting to become repetitive. Miss Tillie had given her a recommendation on a good astronomy book that Torie fully intended to read and get back to her on, so that at least left them in a good place.

She was saving Mrs. Hutton for last. Anthony's twin would undoubtedly be the hardest to win over and Torie was hoping to have Reginald and Tillie handled before she decided to tackle how best to get to know Mrs. Hutton. Despite tonight's event being a masquerade, she had Anthony point out his siblings early in the night, so she could ambush Reginald in a spare moment. The fact that it was a masque had her amused, considering that was how she and Anthony had met. Tonight's outfit was far less extravagant than last time, a dress so pale blue it almost looked silver and a simple silver mask to match.

Having lost sight of anybody she had thought to chat with tonight, Torie had taken a couple of turns on the dance floor and thought a glass of champagne would do her some good. That was of course when somebody sent the entire little display crashing to the ground, glass breaking and drinks spilling all over the place. A hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her back, out of the splash zone as her hands automatically went to her skirts to lift them just high enough to keep them dry. When she realized it was indeed the younger Mr. Alderton coming to her rescue, she couldn't help but to laugh, "Gallantry must run deep in the Alderton blood." She mused as she took another couple of steps back to ensure she did not get champagne on her shoes.

---

  

---

Red again! June 1894

It wasn’t like Reg had intentionally grabbed onto the woman his brother was courting but maybe it would win him some brownie points with him; they weren’t angry with each other, but at times he still felt like Anthony was a stranger after being gone for so long, and it was hard to speak with him. Not that his brother was on his mind as the woman who’s arm he still held laughed and made a comment that made his face flush crimson. She took a few steps back and Reg followed her until he felt she was safe from falling flat on her butt from the wet floor, although his own feet almost slid out from underneath him, and he found himself using Miss Malfoy as leverage to keep it from happening to him.

Finally his hands dropped away from her, one finding the back of his neck as Reg rubbed it nervously. He wasn’t sure why he felt nervous, although he suspected it had something to do with interacting with his potential future sister-in-law. Tillie hadn’t been able to give him any details about her before the pair had to separate, and now here he was on his own in front of her. At least she seemed nice. He could do nice. “Ah, thank you. Anthony would have taken it a step further, probably carried you across the room to make sure your dress didn’t get stained. Afraid all I can ask is if you’re alright.” Reg lifted his gaze and grinned at her, hand dropping to his side.

---

Victoire Malfoy / FYI Anthony Alderton

---

  

---

Once they were both stable and out of the flood zone, Torie dropped her skirts, smoothing out the taffeta pleats gently. She laughed genuinely at his comment about Anthony taking it a step further, which had indeed already happened more than once

"Ah yes, we've been there a time or two. Though it pains me to admit it, I actually swooned on him the first time we met." Though it had worked out in her favor in the long run, her cheeks still flushed a little at the memory. Gallant indeed. But back to the conversation at hand, "Yes, perfectly fine, not a single drop on me." It really wouldn't have been fun to have soggy shoes for the rest of the evening. "And yourself, no champagne casualties?"

---

  

---

Red again! June 1894

Reg couldn’t help but laugh, knowing damn well that his brother probably loved having a woman (especially one as pretty as Miss Malfoy) swoon on him. Anthony always did like playing the knight in shining armor, although it looked like it worked out for him this go around. “I promise not to tell anyone if you don’t want me to.” Reg’s grin edged wider, but he meant it. If she was going to be his (maybe? hopefully?) sister-in-law, it was important she at least liked him. Or maybe it was important that he liked her, not that Miss Victoire had given him any reason not to like her.

Blue eyes blinked down at his pants, the bottom of his right leg rimmed with wetness before he chuckled nervously. “My sock is soaking wet, and my pants are a little wet, but nothing that won’t dry before the end of the night.” The sock would be the worst part, but he could take it off… perhaps conjure up a drying spell and put it back on, but Reg wasn’t about to do that in front of the lady. He’d just live with it.

---

Victoire Malfoy / FYI Anthony Alderton

---

  

---

"That would be most appreciated," Torie chuckled quietly, passing Mr. Alderton a warm smile. So far her efforts to get to know Anthony's siblings were going well, but she had started with the easiest ones, she supposed. It would be Mrs. Hutton that would require her to be on top of her game. Perhaps she should ask Reginald for assistance in that matter. She'd work it into the conversation eventually.

However, they needed to deal with his poor soaked foot! "Oh my, that won't do. You'll have blisters after one dance." Wet shoes were the absolute worst. "Would you like me to try and dry it for you?" She did have a fair bit of practice with it, taking care of spills or her wet hair after a bath. Torie's knowledge of personal charms was pretty good; after all it wasn't easy trying to make this bright red hair work for her. Estelle's jinx seemed to have no end in sight and thought Torie rather enjoyed it, she had to wonder if it was permanent.

---

  

---

Red again! June 1894

Reg returned her smile. He might be a reporter but he wasn’t about spreading gossip; that was why he stuck with quidditch, or crime when he tagged along with Felix, or was peering over his shoulder while he worked. Either way, neither of them dealt with gossip or the rumor mill. Reginald liked Miss Victorie from what he could tell, and she’d fit in rather well with their family. He wasn’t sure what she had in common with Tillie but he was sure they’d find something — of all his siblings, he felt she was the easiest to get along with, although Lucy was right there with her. She might be harder to impress simply because she and Anthony were close, but both of his sisters were teddy bears.

He glanced down at his we foot and laughed, his grin edging wider. “Looks like you’ll fit into the family perfectly, acting gallantry and all.” Felt like a damsel in distress for a single, fleeting moment, but it didn’t bother him. “But in all honesty, if you don’t mind. I trust you.” Instead of standing near the spilled drinks, Reg tilted his head to move toward the wall, out of the way just in case it went wrong. Not that it would because it was hard to botch up a simple spell like this… he probably could do it himself, but if she was offering he wasn’t going to turn her down.

---

  

---

Torie chuckled, secretly pleased as punch by Mr. Aldterton's appraisal. She would very much like to fit right into their family. "Perhaps I've been spending a little too much time with Anthony." She allowed, thinking there was no such thing, but followed Reginald to the outskirts of the room, careful to keep her skirts from the spill.

Though she shouldn't be, as this charm could be done in her sleep (for her hair, obviously!), Torie was a little nervous when put on the spot. It really wasn't all that often she used magic in her daily life, which may or may not be a true signal of her status in life, but she had generally been a good student throughout her career at Hogwarts.

"You may want to slide out of your shoe," She advised, thinking getting the inside would be easier, not to mention his sock.

---

  

---

Red again! June 1894

Reg was pleased he didn’t immediately scowl. It made sense they’d try to spend time together given that they were courting, but he couldn’t recall the last time he’d spent quality time with Anthony. Christmas, maybe? It didn’t matter in this instance because that was between Reginald and his brother. Miss Victoire had nothing to do with it.

Once away from the crowd he turned toward her, although he laughed quietly and shook his head. No duh he should take his shoe off, but it hadn’t crossed his mind to do so. He almost felt like Cinderella, taking his shoe off and all, but at least he wouldn’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight, and Miss Torie wouldn’t show up at his house trying to return his shoe after a night of dancing. Reg slid his foot out of the shoe and then hopped back once, careful not to put his foot back on the ground. Flashed a grin at the woman because this wasn’t how he expected tonight to go, but hey, at least it was interesting.

“Thanks for this.” He murmured. Not everyone was as kind as she was, but Reg would have lived with having a wet sock for the entire night.

---

Victoire Malfoy / FYI Anthony Alderton

---

  

---

Torie pulled her wand from the pocket in her skirts while Reginald removed his shoe. This was mildly hilarious and she had no idea how she would explain it if somebody asked, but she would feel bad if his shoe was soaked for the rest of the evening. With practiced movement, she cast the spell, aiming it first at his foot, then after a moment his shoe. Nothing seemed to go amiss.

"It's no problem. Better?" Even if it was mostly dry, it would be far more comfortable. "I'm not sure I've ever used the spell for something like this." She joked lightly. Then again, she supposed she hadn't had many opportunities either. Had she been thinking during her riding disaster, it would have come in handy, but with Anthony's wand broken and the pair of them wholly distracted, it hadn't crossed her mind.

---

  

---

Red again! June 1894

The spell Miss Victoire cast was warm and Reg couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose as it curled around his foot; it didn’t hurt, not at all, but the sensation was an odd feeling. He wondered if his foot was wrinkly, but that wasn’t something he was going to check at a ball of all places, especially in front of the woman his brother was courting. (His goal was to not be the weirdest sibling of the bunch, although sometimes it just happened.) At least it went away quickly, and Reg nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah. It’s great.” A small laugh bubbled out of his throat as he curled his toes in his now dry shoe. “That is much better. And I can’t say I’ve ever used the spell for something like this either.” It wasn’t like Reg played in the rain and he didn’t go jumping into lakes or rivers for fun while fully clothed. “I think my most used spell is enchanting my quill so it writes notes for me.” He had no reason to believe that Miss Victoire was daft enough to not pick up on the fact that he was a reporter of some kind, and well, it wasn’t a secret about how much he sometimes (unintentionally) stuck his nose in someone else’s business.

Reginald cleared his throat. “Can I uh… entice you into a dance? Unless you think it’ll be weird, which is definitely fine if we just stay right here.” Was it weird? He wasn’t sure about the customs. “Unless you need to be somewhere else, which is also uh… definitely fine too.” Speaking faster as the words tumbled out, Reg sucked in a sharp breath. Foot meet mouth. Maybe he was the weirdest sibling of the bunch.

---

  

---

Pleased she had been able to be of actual assistance, Torie replaced her wand back into her pocket, thankful that ball gowns did indeed have good ones. Otherwise where would she put everything?

"I shall have to keep it in mind for future need," she chuckled, thinking that hopefully it would not be necessary again. She was courting Anthony though, anything was possible with their track record. Intrigued by his comment about the quills, Torie was more immediately enticed by the idea of a dance.

"I don't think it weird at all, and I have no other obligations at the moment," she assured him with a pretty smile. This was good! Two pleasant interactions with Anthony's siblings in one night! All was going according to plan. "I would very much like a dance," she added more plainly, amused by his hurried offers. If they were to be family in the future, they would have to get used to it!

Holding out her hand, she waited to be taken to the floor and once the music started, circled back to the note taking quills. "What are the charmed quills for?"

---

  

---

Red again! June 1894

Reg wasn’t sure what he was expecting from Miss Victoire, but it wasn’t for her to agree to dance with him while smiling like she wasn’t doing it out of obligation. He’d been turned down a couple times last season and for the life of him he still couldn’t figure out why… not that he wanted to dwell on that thought. Instead Reg blinked at her a few times before he grinned back at her and took her hand as she outstretched it, leading her toward the dance floor.

There, he settled his arms around her. “Well, I report for the Daily Prophet. Quidditch, mostly, but my roommate is a crime reporter, and sometimes I tag along. I use the quill to write notes while we investigate, jot down some notes and things so we have things to look back on.” Reg nodded. “Keeps my head on straight so I know I’m not making this up.” He’d made that mistake once, and it wouldn’t be repeated.

---

  

---

Pleased that she could continue the conversation, Torie, though obviously letting Reginal lead, swept through the walt almost lazily. She could dance as well as she could walk, which made conversation during much easier. "Oh that's very clever," Torie hadn't expected that. She must have known he worked, but hadn't connected all of the dots apparently.

"Must be exciting, busy." Perhaps maybe not quidditch so much, unless he was very invested, but the crime hardly ever stopped either. "Having reliable notes to look back on must be critical." Though she couldn't truly imagine what it was like, even in social situations Torie found herself second guessing what she had heard or seen. It must have happened all of the time in reporting and it was far more important that information go out correctly. "Do you enjoy it?"

---

  

---

Red again! June 1894

If there was one thing Reg could talk about all day, it was work. Well, maybe not work, but he could talk one's ear off about quidditch and writing, two of his favorite things. He pursed his lips together as he concentrated on the correct steps to their dance (maybe mouthing a count or two) before he grinned at her. “It’s an exciting job, and I’m actually going to transfer to crime and politics soon. Ready for something new and well, Anthony’s newest venture of being a sponsor makes me kind of biased.” Reg chuckled and shook his head. But yeah, you're right, having reliable notes is a lifeline. It's the only way to keep up with everything that's happening." He also tried to pay close attention to his surroundings, but often than not he didn’t.

He cleared his throat. “If you ever want a tour of the Prophet, just shout. I’d be happy to show you around.” Reginald nodded. “Now, we've talked a lot about me. What about you? Any weird hobbies we should know about?” He highly doubted it, at least nothing that would be too weird considering how odd the Aldertons already were, but some debutantes had surprised him in the past.

---

  

---

Torie was very patiently oblivious to Reginald's counting of steps. He seemed to settle into the rhythm after a moment and she listened with rapt attention as he explained his position at the paper. "I shall keep that in mind." Torie wasn't so sure she'd need a tour of the Prophet office any time soon, but she would keep it in her back pocket for certain.

"Weird, no." She laughed, spinning out and back in. "Astronomy. I love astronomy and the stars. And I play a pretty piano, but I have a terrible singing voice." She smiled slowly. "Oh, and I'm learning the harp." It wasn't quite as easy as she would have liked, but she was determined. "The same old boring things we ladies are supposed to be good at." Maybe not astronomy so much, but Torie would never tire of the stories or the constellations or using her telescope to watch the heavens. "I do suppose courting your brother might count as a weird hobby." She teased lightly, stifling a grin. "But only time will tell." She added as the song ended. "Come, let's get another drink and I can bore you some more." She teased lightly, tugging him with her.

---

  

---

Red again! June 1894