May 30th, 1888 - COB
Aldous Crouch

While this was not indeed February's evening, nor that of any of her sisters' either, Febs had a fondness for the Hogwarts Debut that she couldn't quite explain. Perhaps it was her love of the castle that brought her back this year, or maybe memories of easier times, but either way, despite the fact that she was not a fresh debutante, she was still very single.

After watching the procession and the party was well underway, February found herself, after a few turns on the dance floor, a little out of breath an quite warm. She procured a flute of champagne and moved toward the open windows at the side of the hall. Flushed, Febby found the cool evening air wafting into the room incredibly refreshing.

It really was quite the evening, and as she surveyed the room at large from her perch against the stonework, Febs knew that even if it was a fabulous night, she still probably would't benefit from it. She normally had a high level of confidence in her event attendance, but with each passing season, she felt a little more defeated. Of course last year had been a wash what with August being missing and all, but this year wasn't turning out much better. Still she'd have to persevere, lest she end up a spinster, which would not do.

Draining the last of her champagne, Febby set it on a passing tray, thinking she ought to push on. "Oh I wish that had been firewhiskey..." She murmured to herself, though she only had a taste for it when she needed to feel a little kick to get back out there. It was then that she noticed somebody had heard her and Febs could only smile slowly at the gentleman with a just a hint of  sheepish shrug.

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I wish that had been firewhisky…

For a moment, Aldous was confused: how had Reuben managed so effeminate a voice? Then, he turned and realized that it had not been his wayward brother but a young witch who, bar what had just left her lips, seemed every bit the proper young lady. Having never had a taste for strong liquor himself, the wizard could not commiserate, but as she caught him looking at her in surprise, he offered his own sheepish smile in exchange for her own.

“Not a fan of such events?” he inquired pleasantly. That much, he could relate to—for gatherings such as this were not entirely inclusive towards those of…limited mobility.

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The following 2 users Like Aldous Crouch's post:2 users Like Aldous Crouch's post
   February Umbridge, Ophelia Devine

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

The tips of Febbys ears burned pink as she knew she was caught. The gentleman in question didn't seem too taken aback by her less-than-proper admission. "Ahh," She hesitated, wondering if the truth of a little white lie would serve better her, but considering they were both on the outskirts of the event and he had reciprocated her smile, she leaned toward the truth.

"Honestly, they're not my favorite. I do enjoy a dance here and there, but this whole season thing is not especially my forté, even with a few under my belt." Would this year finally be a good one? Now the August was home and who knew, maybe they'd go without a plague or fire (though those had been before her official debut), but honestly Febs wasn't holding her breath. And she wouldn't be terribly upset either, about the season anyway, she could do without all of the doom and gloom.

"And yourself? Or are you hiding over here from somebody specific?" She quirked an eyebrow and a sly smile his way. Debutantes were crazy- technically she was one, she knew that firsthand.

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“They are hardly my forte, either,” Aldous replied with a nod towards his cane, “but alas, they are what’s done. Surely a young lady who has been out and about, though, can afford to miss so…banal a function?”

With November married and a mother now, Aldous had long since stopped keeping track of what was “done” by young ladies. Still, it seemed almost cruel to him to force an ‘older’ deb to celebrate the coming out of her younger competition—though competition was not even the right word, given that farmers’ daughters descended the stairs here. Ridiculous, really.

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

In truth February hadn't even noticed the cane until it was pointed out. That would certainly put a damper on an event like this. Most of the time, dancing was the only thing February enjoyed, but being the athletic kind of girl she was, it was mostly because she was good at it.

Febby mused over his words with a slow smile, reaching for another glass of champagne as a tray passed by. "Yes, I do suppose so." This evening had not been forced on her by any means, but she would never miss the opportunity to come back to her beloved school. "However there is just something so enchanting about coming back to Hogwarts that it's hard to resist. Even though it's no longer for me, it's nice to be able to come back, if only for the evening." She sighed wistfully, looking up at the ceiling and then out over the crowd as a wave of nostalgia washed over her.

"And so it's duty brings you here tonight?" She quirked another eyebrow at him over her champagne. It must not have been much fun at all to be resigned to the sidelines all evening either.

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So enchanting a young debutante might seek out firewhisky as an alternative to champagne? Perhaps, Aldous reasoned, he had simply been blessed with November; perhaps this was the norm for young ladies after all.

“Duty, yes,” Aldous answered, “and, I suppose, a bit of curiosity—it was once my school, too, and you are not wrong about its…enchantments. I do come every year, though, unless my professional obligations prevent it. And though it may not be the highlight of my social calendar, I cannot honestly say that I regret doing so.”

He regretted a great many things in life, but the annual pilgrimage of sorts back to Hogwarts’ halls was not one of them.

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

"Ahh, see now you understand the need for whiskey." Certainly, if he could understand the enjoyment of coming back and enjoying the nostalgia of it, he must also recognize the redundancy of it. The latter didn't seem to stop him however as he followed through dutifully attending the event. "Spice it up, just a little bit." Of course the year after her graduation, when August's friend Gemma had totally flattened the dance floor, now that had been a good show.

"I would give just about anything to be able to escape to the grounds or the halls outside of this though," An adventure, just like in her school days, carefree and easy. She looked out the nearby window"No silly dance cards or worries about saying the right thing to the right gentleman- which clearly I've already blown in this instance." She rolled her head back toward her current company with a resigned smile. "I suppose I am not a conventional debutante in that instance." She chuckled and took a sip of her champagne.

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The following 1 user Likes February Umbridge's post:1 user Likes February Umbridge's post
   Edric Umbridge

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“I confess, I am much more of a brandy man myself,” he remarked dryly, surprising himself. She was peculiar, but charming—enough so that she had all but elicited a joke from the generally passive wizard.

It sounded to him as though the ‘this’ she wished to flee was not the ball but society itself—saying the right thing and dance cards, they were the life of a debutante, inescapable except through marriage, death, or ruin. What was it muggles said? All the world’s a stage. It was a statement that was entirely true, at least in Aldous’ experience.

“You are very forthright.”

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

Febby hummed out a little note of agreement. She was rather straightforward, it had served her pretty well in life so far. She sipped again at her champagne, still wishing it was whiskey, though with company it was a marked improvement than simply skirting around the edges of the event. "Much to my mother's chagrin, I do suppose." It amused February though.

"In my short time as a debutante," Okay this was her fourth season, which was practically eons, but still. "I've learned that it serves little purpose to dance around in a conversation. Much easier to be honest up front, I believe." Or well, at least not play too coy. Febs was outgoing by nature and certainly not everyone's cup of tea (which could be contributing to her current singleness) but she'd rather find that out early than waste everyone's time by pussyfooting around when it wasn't necessary. "Or maybe I've grown cynical after a few seasons, who knows." Could be either or a little of both.  

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“I daresay that’s not a particularly popular belief,” Aldous pointed out with a chuckle. Even among gentleman, ‘getting to the point’ often appeared something of a lost art. It was, he thought, rather refreshing to find someone for whom the opposite was true, though the realistic part of him noted that, were it beneficial, the young lady would likely not still be a debutante.

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

Febby smiled slowly over her champagne. "No, but it does save me quite a bit of time. Then again I haven't had any luck at the debutante thing either, which some of the time was beyond my control." There were lots of other outside factors to her failure seasons, but she also rather thought her personality had something to do with it. Though February was not exactly concerned about being a spinster forever, she also was starting to think that events like this were likely not where she would meet somebody who could keep up with her. Who knew though.

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Part of him wanted to inquire, but Aldous knew that to do so would be impertinent—she might be a peculiar sort of debutante, but he was very much the picture of a gentleman, or at least he liked to believe as much.

“I am sure that, given the right opportunity, your luck will change swiftly,” Aldous reassured the young lady gallantly—though from her demeanour, he was not altogether sure she particularly cared, one way or another. He was not certain what to make of that, given his experiences with November’s career as a deb had been completely different.

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

Though she didn't quite believe his assurances, Febs passed her company a charming smile. "It's very kind of you to say so, it may still be my year yet." Who knew, she could meet the love of her life here tonight, though she doubted it, anything was possible.

"Now if only we can abstain from any catastrophic events this summer, that would certainly be helpful." Not that she'd been out technically for the plague and fire, Febs was pretty sure that the World Market disaster and pretty much every other summer in the last five years had been some kind of dramatic. A nice, normal summer would be most welcome at this point.

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Aldous winced. Their community had been no stranger to catastrophe of late—his bad leg was a relic of one such incident.

“From your mouth to the ears of the fates,” Aldous answered. “I personally would like to end the year with the same number of limbs I began it.”

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

Febby smiled slowly, a pensive curve of her lips as she nearly contemplated a chuckle at his words, but once she'd remembered the cane, decided it probably wasn't entirely proper. So instead she settled for the smile with a hint of a smirk. "It's a miracle anyone's gotten married out of the  last few seasons, really." Last summer hadn't been terrible but it certainly could have been better.

Draining the last of her champagne, Febs rather thought two was good for now. She was no unaccustomed to the feeling of alcohol in her system, but felt lighter, a little more in the mood to actually participate in tonight's festivities. Perhaps a reminder of what was possible was all she needed. "I should probably get back out there, lest my mother think I'm missing. I hope you find yourself a good glass of brandy to get through the evening."

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"And may you, in turn, find an activity more suited to your temperament," Aldous returned kindly. What a peculiar young lady!

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —