A BRIGHT JANUARY NIGHT

[nicolas]

FROM ETHERS TRAGIC I AM BORN AGAIN
AND NOW I'M WITH YOU NOW
INSIDE YOUR WORLD OF WOW

Nicolas was dressed in a long dark coat, under that he worse a set of black and silver robes. His hear was neatly tied. He was planning to cut some of it, but by the time he had left his work at the Ministry bit was too late for that. The sun had already settled by the time he left home and whatever warm it brought was gone. The only thing left was the burning cold that found your bones and settled there. The moon wasn’t full, but the night was bright with shining stars and Nicolas was at least grateful for that as he apparate in front of a well lid building. There was an air of quietness as hooded figures entered the building. Unlike his other in the dark on the night, this wasn’t a Death eater meeting. But actually a party that the Ministry decided it was a good the to held.

Spells had been used so it would captured the attention of wondering muggles, which explained the quietness. But it still made Nicolas feel slightly nervous. It wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy parties, but this was a masquerade and he preferred to see peoples faces. He would have preferred to stay home, before a warm fire. But it was a Ministry thing and must of his fellow workers would be there. He also knew that it would make him feel better to go out a bit more, he wasn’t feeling like himself lately. Going out and interacting with others may do him good, in the worse chance he would just leave early if he got bored or continued to feel uneasy.

Now that he was closer he could see the place better, it was golden from the lights and he guessed it was a beautiful view in the day as in the night. The pathway had been lid by magical candles that floated one or two feet from the ground. The trees had been lid also, with smaller candles and it reminded Nicolas of Christmas parties, even if it was too late for that. A few wizards and witches were in the garden, their robes and dresses rolling over the white snow. Even if their faces were hidden by colored mask he could feel the happiness in their faces and his doubts banished. He understood why the Ministry had done this, things were bad now.

People were uneasy, the quietness from the Death Eaters and the stirring from the muggles were making them uneasy. Letting go of those worries even for a few hours would be good, Nicolas for once was feeling a lot better. He wasn’t even going to think about his problems, mainly Regulus and his Death Eaters. With a new sense of happiness he walked into the building, he was feeling better but he wasn’t staying in the cold. He smiled to a few wizards and witches in the door, not recognizing any of them and walked into the much warmer room. Like outside groups stood in every corner talking loudly and drinking.

The Ministry had made sure that no one would recognize each other, they didn’t even knew who the hosts were. But that didn’t stop anyone from finding a group and joining in. Nicolas would have liked to come with his sister, but he wasn’t even sure if Claudia would be here tonight. He doubted they would make them keep the masks all night and guessed he would find her later, for now he found a table and served himself some elf-made whine, letting the drink warm his freezing bones. He would find a group himself later, but after he was property warm. Finishing the drink he removed the oat, his dress robes would keep him warm.

That wasn’t even necessary, the many candles didn’t just serve as lighting, but also brought heat to the room. It wasn’t so warm that you would sweat, but it would keep you warm as you moved around. It reminded Nicolas of the warm one feel when in Hogwarts or even when he goes to visit the Blake family. No wonder people were so happy to be here, smiling he asked one of the masked witches for a dance. In a few seconds he found himself swirling across the dance floor, glad that he had chosen to come after all.

WORD COUNT:

739
CLOTHES: Black/Silver dress robes and golden mask.
TAG: Anyone that wants to join in.
LYRICS: SMASHING PUMPKINGS -The End Is The Beginning Is The End
NOTES: You don't have to intercat with Nick, but if you want feel free to drag him into anything. I'll try to bring at least Draco into the party too later on.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center][/blockquote]

[.ROWAN KESTREL AMBER !]

Rowan should have been excited to be coming here, but somehow she got the feeling something was going to happen here. Or maybe it was just her freaking out. Her father did warn her about coming, but he would never come to such things, she didn't understand why. Sometimes she wondered if he truly felt happy being the lonely old man that he was when she felt off to go have fun or be a normal teenager, if you can consider a half vampire a normal person. She didn't think so, but she was sort of glad of coming here because then no one would figure out who she was or what she was if someone bothered to find out.

Her dress was pretty, but very simple. It came down to her ankles and left her shoulders bare. She wore lovely pale purple heels to go with her stunning violet dress. She seemed to be quite loving the color she choose to wear instead of her normal blue colors. Her mask was in the shape of a cat face. She was all decked out in something purple. Her barrette to keep her hair out of her face was even purple. She didn't care if people paid any attention to her, she was only going to have some fun and see others around the wizarding world.

Coming into the party she seemed rather nervous to be going in, because she was unsure of what to expect here. Her mask was on as she entered hoping no one would bother an eighteen year old hogwarts student for a dance or a drink, not that it would bother her, she could have easily taken care of herself right then and there if she truly had to, but it would easily draw attention to herself. In which case, she did not want to draw upon herself. It was something she wasn't in the mood for, drawing attention of others, especially those of dark magic and uses of creatures like vampires or half vampires if they knew of her existence. She wanted to have a great time here, not have a boring old time where she could have just stayed in her room and skulk.

STATUS,

finished!
STARRING, Everyone
COSTUME, here
SPEECH, 370
NOTES,bleh.... my muse is terrible at the moment, but its great for my other character of the same name and demeanor on another site.

[/blockquote][/size]

[ron]

Right now, there was a war going on. Or at least, they were on the brink of an all out war, which was just as bad--like his sixth year all over again, there was always that fear that one thing would make the fragile balance of the world break in half, sending everything into a spiral of chaos. He wished he was being dramatic, but Ron had been around enough to know he wasn't. Soon, Death Eaters would be out openly with whoever their leader was, and the muggles would catch on, or whatever muggles were causing problems now would cause even more, and nobody would sleep or eat for fear of--

Shaking his head, Ron let out a soft laugh when Hermione gave him a worried look, trying to let her know he was fine. His nose burned in the cold of the night as they walked to the local apparition point, his dress robes and cloak keeping his body warm but unable to cover his face. He didn't need to be thinking such negative thoughts when he was with his wife for a little while and they were going to a party. That was the whole point of this little Ministry do--make people relax for a little while, maybe push back the impending war by making everyone bond over drinks and dancing. It was a naive hope, but at least it gave Ron a chance to be with Hermione and his friends, if they ever ran into each other.

It was a Masquerade ball, hosted by an anonymous person or two. The masquerade thing made his feel a little nervous, not liking the thoughts of masks for a few reasons. Anybody there could be a secret Death Eater, and it was not only his job as an Auror to track them down, but his duty as a member of the Order of the Phoenix to do the same, so he could keep the wizarding world safe. Tonight, he couldn't do that. Unless there was somebody being openly hostile, he couldn't go around trying to sniff out the 'bad guys'. He had told Hermione that he'd relax tonight; told her he'd try to have fun and not stress himself out so much. His hair practically stood on end by itself anymore.

So he was hoping for a good, safe night. No Death Eater attacks that made him leave hurriedly, no scuffles that kept his on edge, no muggles getting into wizarding sites or anything of the sort. Ron wanted Harry and Ginny to be there, so he could say hi to them in an environment that wasn't so bloody tense, and he wanted to twirl his wife on the dance floor with this feeling in his stomach that told him all of his family was safe, and his kids were fine in Hogwarts with Neville looking over them. He wanted peace and happiness, just for a night. He wanted to have fun. Hopefully this party could give that to him.

Apparating arm in arm with Hermione, they appeared in front of the location of the party, and Ron shivered a little in the cold winter wind as they hurried into the house, where he immediately felt his muscles loosen in the warmth of the air. Taking off his and Hermione's cloaks, he led them over to the drink table, forcing himself to roll his shoulders and take a drink with a smile, surveying the scene. Locating all of the exit points that he could see, anybody who might look suspicious, anything that could be used to his advantage--all in a few moments. There were some things he just couldn't help.

He knew he should suggest they dance, but he didn't want to just yet. He was content with slipping his hand into Hermione's and wondering how hard it would be for people to spot the tall, red-headed Ron Weasley, knowing who he was even with the large black mask on his face.

[tex]

Masquerade. This was a word that Hermione was neither content or comfortable with. She was not a fan of dressing up, nor having masked faces. Masks were sort of a fear for her, mainly because it was something to hide things behind, just as the death eaters had once hidden their identities from the world and caused havoc throughout the wizarding world. Those were dark times, dark masks, and unknown faces until the very end. It seemed childish to be afraid of a mask, but who knew who was really behind them? What if they were an unwanted guest? How would you know?

The war was beginning again, coming up from the seventh island in hell, and waiting to break. It was uncomfortable, believing it may start or end here, and Hermione's husband, Ronald, knew that she did not like this idea. She did not like this situation. She may have jumped to conclusions, but the eerie feeling of blending into a pack of covered individuals made her feel lost and dazed. She couldn't help but fidget, wrapping her fingers within her curls that were dolled up into a bun to the back of her head. It was like a itch that she couldn't reach because it was deep in her mind; taunting her.

Hermione held Ronald's hand lightly, proving that they were in this together, then linked his arm to apparate. The cold was completely over whelming. She could feel it within her toes as it spread to her nose. She ran, but it proved to be rather difficult. She could tell he was cold, too, but she knew that he was alright under that heavy cloak. The warmth within the manor, however, was relaxing and welcoming enough to set Hermione's mind apart from her pre-existent worries. She almost wished that her children could be beside her, only so she knew where they were, but they were at Hogwarts. She knew in the back of her mind that it was indeed the safest place for them to be.

She felt a lift from her shoulders as her cloak was unraveled from her frame. She turned, displaying herself in a large dress in the shade of a royal purple. Her mask was black, usual masquerade material, and, to her disbelief, she was still shorter than her husband. He was now directing them to the drink table when she had lifted her hand to refuse a drink. She stayed silent, keeping her eye on the people around and wishing to decipher who was who, but she was at a loss. She couldn't place anyone and was almost afraid she would lose her husband if he had wandered too far. She did not like this. Not one bit.

&& Wordcount: 456
&& Status: finished !
&& Costume: HERE !
&& Song: glitter in the air - P!nk
&& Notes: Thanks for letting me join!

[.THEODORE REMUS LUPIN !]

i just wanted one dance with you
ONE NIGHT UNDER THE SMOKE ALARM

The mask on his face made the dress robes almost bearable. At least no one will know it's me.

Teddy studied his reflection in the mirror, frowning at how dull it was. The point of a masquerade ball, of course, is to blend in and not be noticed. Thus away went the eye-wateringly blue hair and eye color, swapped instead for his regular ol' de-morphed form. Tonight, Teddy was 100% Teddy, not a single modification on his person. That meant his normal mousy brown hair, dark eyes and thin lips. He put his mask on for a moment, and Teddy Lupin disappeared entirely.

"Mmphm." His grunt was muffled y the mask which he quickly pulled off. He twirled it around his finger while he waited for Victoire to step out of their room, who would no doubt be stunningly gorgeous in her gown and mask. Teddy shifted uselessly in his own ball-appropriate attire, plucking at the buttons on his torso and pulling on his sleeves. He wasn't normally one for getting dressed up and it was usually only at Victoire's demands that he looked presentable. Otherwise he'd be going to this thing in jeans and a t-shirt.

But it wasn't all bad, anyway. Teddy figured he could manage one night in the too-stiff-from-lack-of-use dress robes he'd had since his sixth year in Hogwarts, because the Ministry was putting on this ball for a good cause. This was supposed to be a night where everyone could relax, stop worrying, if only for a few hours, about the curious breeches in security and secrecy. Masquerades of this sort used to be an ages old Ministry tradition, but circumstances withing the last century had since negated their effectiveness. The MoM was struggling and everyone needed a break, and even if Teddy thought it would really have been more prudent to investigate the breaks in the Statute of Secrecy than to plan for a huge party, he could see where the Ministry was coming from.

Times had been strained, recently, tensions running so high you could taste it. Being part of the Order gave Teddy a bit of insight into the problem but of course not the whole picture: There were still things that his Godfather kept hidden away in his Auror's office. But Teddy knew enough, and there was even evidence of the happenings in his field of work: creatures popping up in Muggle towns and cities inexplicably, against their very natures and instincts. Funny business. It was almost a bit a frightening.

This, however, was not the time to go worrying about that or judging the Ministry on the way it chose to cope. Teddy had always been a fan of parties, though he did prefer the rowdier, less formal sort. But hey, beggars can't be choosers.

Olivia had been sent off to his Gran's house an hour or so before, and all that was left to do was wait for Victoire. "Vic?" He asked, knocking quietly on their bedroom door, "Ready to go?"

[claudia]

Blue-green eyes stared back at Claudia from a mirror that hung on the wall closest to her bed. As she pulled up her dress so did her reflection, as she pursed her lips, so did her reflection and as she sighed deeply, so to did her reflection. The reflection in the mirror wore a dark purple gown, which emphasized her small physique, enhancing her every curve, while it flared out a few inches before gown met ground with a small little trail. The top part was beautifully adorned with crystals of varying colour, although it matched perfectly with the colour of the gown as the bottom part remained simple apart from the little flair and trail. The entire look was finished off with a beautiful high heeled sandal and eye catching earrings.

Buying everything for this ball was thoroughly entertaining for Claudia, although she had known from the very beginning that she would not look forward to attending it. Social gatherings were not Claudia’s forte. Her idea of the perfect evening would be along the lines of reading a book of poetry in the dark corner of a pub that no one really visited, so that she would be able to enjoy both the book and perhaps even have the opportunity to look upon any sort of person that wanted to go unnoticed and try and figure out the possibilities of what they might be up to, if they were indeed up to anything.

However this Masquerade Ball was something that as an Auror, she was expected to attend. Not only because this was a Ministry function, something they had come up all on their own and had basically advised everyone that it would be in their best interests to attend, but it apparently made the people attending the Ball less apprehensive that they might come upon their doom having Aurors around them. Which made no sense to Claudia, because well everyone was going masked, no one was to know anyone else, except Claudia supposed the married people. Either way, it was dumb, but it didn’t matter because even if this was a normal ball, Claudia would still consider it dumb. Social gatherings was like Claudia’s kryptonite, with no sun or lead box in sight.

Deciding that if she didn’t go now she would probably end up staying, Claudia pulled on her mask, followed afterward by her cloak and made her way to the place that whoever was hosting this party had decided upon. After locking her door and magically sealing it Claudia disapparated from her home to the location of the Masquerade Ball. As she walked along the beautifully lit pathway up to the building, Claudia’s gaze drifted and she noted that quite a few witches and wizards had already arrived. Taking a deep breath, Claudia flung back her hair, which she had left with a few curls something different from her normal. If she was to be unrecognizable, she might as well play it as well as she could. Claudia took a quick intake of everything important in the location, before she made a bee-line for an empty table in the darkest corner she could find and helped herself to the bottle of wine sitting on the table.

[.VICTOIRE GABRIELLE WEASLEY !]

Given the chance to dress up for something with lots of people around, Victoire would have a hard time passing it up. She loved dressing up and shopping for the dress and finding the perfect shoes and doing her hair and feeling like the prettiest girl there. Of course, she was part veela, but that didn't mean she felt pretty all of the time. A ball was the perfect place to make herself feel pretty instead of a healer who seemed to be working all of the time. Life was boring when things got ordinary, and a ball was anything but ordinary. She was only part veela, after all, and could look completely different when she woke up with make up smeared across her cheeks and hair in a complete state of disarray. You couldn't blame a girl for wanting to look pretty.

Victoire twisted her hair up and took one of the pins from her mouth to keep it in place. By the end of the first dance it would probably fall out, but the entrance was important. She pinned a few more places and surveyed her hair in the mirror. That passed inspection, so now it was on to make up. Victoire leaned close and sorted through the box on the vanity table in Teddy and her bedroom until she came across the shades she wanted. There had not been as many reasons to dress up and show off in the recent months, so the masquerade was a welcome relief.

Plus, no one would see who she was, so the hit of mystery always made it more fun.

Victoire turned at the light knock and looked at the clock. Damn it, they were running almost late thanks to her. Victoire grabbed her mask from where it sat on the table and spun around once in front of the mirror to make sure she looked all right. She knew she should have left work an hour earlier to get ready. Victoire tied the thick black ribbons that held her mask and called to Teddy, "Almost!" The blonde slipped into her heels and grabbed a small black bag. There. She was all set now, anyway.

Victoire opened the door to their bedroom and smiled at the man on the other side. "Ready now. Sorry about the wait." She put a hand on his arm. "Remember your mask, love. But I'm ready to go now."

OUTFIT HERE

[alex]

C A N W E P I C K U P T H E P A C E
T U R N I T U P, H E A T I T U P
I N E E D T O B E E N T E R T A I N E D

Alexander wasn’t crazy about parties, but he enjoyed them very much. Alexander was muggle born, before his Hogwarts letter came he lacked any knowledge about the magical community. His powers had been rare, strange and confusing. Coming to Hogwarts had changed his view on everything, it wasn’t like he didn’t fit withy muggles. But it wasn’t the same, in the muggle world he had to keep the truth about himself hidden. He had to be careful about his powers, his knowledge and where he spend most pf the year at. Back in Hogwarts he was himself, true he was a werewolf now. But people were a lot more understanding and he was free to use his magic. Unfortunately, his knowledge about his fellow wizards only extended to Hogwarts. He stayed with some friends for the Holidays, but while he was still a minor there wasn’t much he could do.

But he was an adult by wizard standards now, which allowed him to open more paths. He was already thinking about renting or buying a small home after his graduation. Some jobs in the school brought extra income and he had been saving for some years now. Other than that, his time in Hogwarts filled his daily life. That meant he still didn’t had that many freedoms, but tonight things were a bit different. The Ministry of Magic was holding a ball, all those that were of age were allowed to attend. Including those residing in Hogwarts. Alexander was more than exited about this, he planned to work one day out there. It would be brilliant for him to meet people that had graduated Hogwarts years before he arrived. It was also his first non-Hogwarts related dance and he was giggly with excitement. As if things couldn’t bet better, there wasn’t a full moon in sight, so even with his sickness he would be able to attend. He didn’t know why, but wizards enjoyed holding parties during the full moon cycle.

The excitement had lasted for most of the week, he had asked the Head of House for a trip to Hogsmeade, in hopes to buy some robes. Most of the other seventh years could ask their parents, but it would be difficult for his own muggle ones to do the shopping. Thankfully he was a good student and the permission had been granted, to himself and other seventh years around the school. He now stood before the mirror, wearing his new robes and a a muggle black suit. His light hair was well combed to the left, covering part of his black mask. He admitted to himself that he looked quite handsome. He took a matching coat and left, ready to join another group of students in the ground. Some of the teachers would be participating and it was with them they left. Alexander glanced back at the school one last time, the windows shining golden against the darkness that covered the rest of the castle. He guessed some of the younger students were probably looking outside now, a bit jealous probably. He remembered his own feelings before he had been of age.

The group apparate together. Alexajmder still wasn’t familiar with the feeling and he felt a bit dizzy after. Regaining himself he looked at the local were the ball was been held. Instantly he was openmouthed, the Ministry had outdone themselves. He wasn’t familiar with Ministry gatherings, but the whole place was amazing and by the looks his companions were giving, the whole thing was amazing even in their perspectives. Once inside the building, Alexander shed his own coat looking around. He stayed close to a group of Ravenclaws and other Hogwarts students, with mask no one was recognizable and he didn‘t want to end up lost. He smiled at someone dressed in violet and asked her for a dance, this was a ball after all.

WORD COUNT: 661
CLOTHING: here
TAGS: Everyone.
LYRICS: Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
NOTE: Rowan I used violet dress if you want to join.

[jenni]

Jenni twirled and twirled around her bedroom to the noise of her puppy barking at what he had to believe was insanity on Jenni’s part. She didn’t care though. She wouldn’t even have cared if her family had seen her now. She felt free. She felt free in a pink ballet styled dress with a pair of matching pumps to complete the feel. What would have been the point of wearing high-heeled shoes? It would leave her less comfortable and would defeat the whole idea of the gown she had chosen to wear to the masquerade ball being held by the anonymous but an idea of the Ministry’s.

Her hair had been curled to perfection a few minutes before the twirling began but had lost a lot of its curl during her moment of madness. Eventually realizing that the twirling would both harm everything that she had worked so hard to achieve and also no longer being able to drown out Maximillion’s bark, Jenni brought herself to a standstill. With a few delicate steps she swept across the floor and landed on her bed pulling Maximillion up in a gentle warm embrace. “It’s ok Maxi, mummy isn’t loosing it,” and kissed her puppy’s head and then placed him on the bed once more to curl up beside Max, the Himalayan Persian cat.

Picking up her wand Jenni aimed it at her hair and watched it attain its perfect curl once more. She hadn’t wanted to use magic but using it meant that she didn’t have to worry about losing the bounce of her curls as soon as she seemed to have to without it. With a quick twirl, which made Maxi stir a little, Jenni was standing in front of her dressing table tying the strings of her mask behind her head so that it would keep fast the entire evening. When she gazed up once more she looked back at her face covered mostly by a pink mask lined with small crystal looking items here and there. Her mouth was free along with a tiny portion of her face and her eyes green eyes gazed through slit openings. With a last application of some lip-gloss, Jenni headed out of her apartment and towards the somewhat anticipated Masquerade Ball. Hoping above all hopes that nothing bad happened.


[[This small reply is from a lack of muse]]

[.Fred Miles Weasley !]

Masquerade ball. An interesting concept, but if it had been up to the him he would have made it a fancy dress ball, far more entertaining. That was why Fred Weasley II was now making his way down the street in a multi-coloured dress robe accompanied by matching shoes and a huge mask with feathers of varying sizes sticking out of the ends. His mother had put a stop to his idea of just dressing up like a clown, but she couldn’t deny that there were no rules in the invitation specifying what colour the dress robes had to be and that they had to be isolated to merely one. His father as he so often did merely stood sniggering at how Fred managed to manipulate things to suite himself.

Deciding that his mother was taking her own sweet time to move along, i.e., get down with applying her make-up and the sorts, Fred had advised his father that he would be leaving by himself. Fred had promised his parents that he would go directly to the Masquerade Ball, no side trips, but it wasn’t like they could track where he apparated and disapparated to. So very Fred like, he popped into the Leaky Cauldron, that he found rather empty compared to the usual, before making his way to the Ball. He had considered that there would not be as many people as was the norm, but its almost complete emptiness apart from the bartender and one patron gave Fred an eerie feeling and he ended up having one drink before he was on his way again.

As he walked the last mile toward where the ball was being held, instead of apparating directly to the appointed destination, Fred considered the idea behind the Masquerade Ball. It was an attempt by the Ministry to allow the wizarding world to believe that perhaps just for an evening all the trouble that plagued them didn’t exist even for a few measly hours. Fred had to admit it was slightly entrepreneuring of the Ministry in charge. Allowing a break from the bleak for a moment of light, allowing the world to believe that certain things could still be enjoyed, still be controlled. However the question of was it possible of being true, left Fred concerned. Would the Dark Side allow the world one moment of pleasure, allow the world to believe in an idea that they could be safe.

Fred didn’t have long to ponder before the sound of his shoes hitting ground changed to the sound of his shoes hitting cobblestone. Smirking, his eyes roved the spectacular before him. It was slightly reminiscent of one of those old Dracula movies, with a hint of romanticism, and that ever present touch of magic. In truth it seemed that the Ministry or perhaps merely whoever the mystery host was had put quite an effort into making the evening unforgettable and now he was here to ensure that it would be so. Running toward the entrance Fred skidded to a halt inside the room that contained the alcohol, tables, chairs, and most important most of the people and raised his hands in a jest of triumph. “I have arrived.”