BlossomFest The Learning of an Art

Mariah couldn't help the hop and skip that came with her walk toward the one class she felt absolutely giddy over. Dance class. It wasn't really that she was excited to dance with some random boy in a room fool of other random children fumbling around in an attempt to remember what step came next. It was more that she was excited at the prospect of clothes. Mariah lived to dress. She loved to draw, she loved to look at birds, she loved to read her mother's ridiculous romance novels, but she lived for clothes. One could say a lot with an outfit. 'I'm colorblind', 'Fringe is the new in (not)', and 'I've never seen the inside of a discount store in my life' were just a few examples. Mariah went for 'Come to me and I will rework everything'. In fact, she had just worked on her friend Celynne for this very event. Mariah had nearly blew rockets out of her bottom when the girl came to her for advise.

Now, Mariah checked herself in the glass window before she walked in. She wore a classic, simple dress. The top hugged her form in flowery swirlsnof black lace, baring her tan shoulders for the world to see, and curving in a boat neckline just below her collarbone. The skirt of the dress started at her waist, cinching tightly with a pretty bow and flowing out in understated frills of silk. Mariah could feel the cool air on her thighs where the dress poofed out enough to leave a good inch between the inside of the dress and the tops of her knees. Her hair was delicate, it's normal midnight waves pulled up into a loose updo, random curls escaping to frame her face and rest gently on the nape of her neck. Perfect, she thought, before she straightened her black flats and opened the door, stepping inside.

Dancing. The movement of the body accordingly to the atmosphere, feeling. While moving, time was flying, the future was becoming the present and was determined his next move. Dancing was an art for Ackerley. He has learned it with his maternal grandmother a long time ago. Dancing was also making the body express itself. Just like magic. Both were similar. In that sense, when the Deputy Headmaster started planning the BlossomFest with the rest of the staff, Matilda and himself got the idea. A spring dance. It would be a great time for students to meet with a new kind of situation, but also for those who understood that art, to simply enjoy themselves.

Matilda and Ackerley had often danced together during their schooling. They even went to a holiday ball together. It was their moment. A few minutes where they understood each other completely. Nothing could disturb their small world while they were moving around the room. It was simply perfect. By knowing that fact, it only made sense for them to be the one teaching the students how to dance. It would be a great experience for each of them. Perhaps some would discover a passion.

Ackerley has been smiling dreamingly. All day, the only thing that would cross his mind was the dance lesson. He had waited patiently for the lunch break and now that it was time, he could not stop himself from being excited about it. The man had quickly eaten in the company of Matilda before the both of them slowly walked toward the Ballroom. The perfect location for this activity. The corridors to go to that huge room were still dark and cold, but Ackerley knew that once he entered the place, he would feel warm. It was exactly what happened. The man smiled toward the group of students who were all waiting for them. 

- Hello everyone and welcome to this dance lesson! I hope you all are ready to learn quite an art with Matilda and me. 

The Deputy Headmaster went in from of the Ballroom and turned around to face each individual in this place. They were all ready to start. In that sense, Ackerley began to speak and explained a few details about the movement.

- Dance is an art. It can be used to express feelings, but also to feel emotion. This is an extremely passioning activity and in that sense, I hope you will all take is as serious as it is. Today, Matilda and I will explain you a few different ways of dancing, of moving your body. Dancing is like a wave. You must feel it in yourself and mostly go with the flow. Without really thinking about it, you will succeed and creates something beautiful for those around you, but also for yourself.

The man then waiting for Matilda to speak up and add a few details before speaking again. She was beautiful and he was excited to do a small example later on during the lesson. It has been so long since both of them has been dancing together. 

- Alright, everyone. For this practice, you will have to be two by two! I would then ask that you find yourself a partner. If you don't have one, you will be able to either be on a team with Matilda or me. 

This lesson was promising. 

Marcus walks in just in time to hear the Deputy Headmaster speak, he is wearing a black tuxedo with a green vest and tie looking around to see what is going on 'Seems like they are being taught how to dance, hopefully it will be entertaining' he thought sliding a hand through his silky black hair once again, he then nods moving to stand beside the other students with his arms behind his back like a noble pureblood would, as he continues to listen to the Deputy Headmaster speak he looks around seeing who he should maybe dance with, noting the many Pureblood heiresses who would possibly have dance training prior to entering Hogwarts from their parents.

"Well this should be fun." He mumbled mostly to himself, standing in the back near the walls so he can lean against them with an eyebrow raised 'But I have to admit it does seem Our Deputy Headmaster knows how to dance' he thought with a nod continuing to thick about who he should have as a dance partner as he watches Ackerley and Matilda dance when they begin 'Ackerley has the right idea atleast, helping everyone out who doesn't know how to dance.'

Suit

 Step by step, beat by beat - everything in life was a form of dance. Every hand movement, every gesture, another lyric in the never-ending song that was the walk of life. The sound of Matilda's heels clicked against the flooring of the Scottish castle as she walked down the hallway with Ackerley by her side, venturing toward the Ballroom. They were to teach a class together that day, one where they were to be instructing students on the ways of waltzing, or something of the sort. She knew almost every dance off by heart, due to the constant training during her Summer breaks in Éze with her grandparents. It was not something she would forget easily.

 The Ballroom was a sight to behold. During one of her earlier expeditions around Hogwarts, she came across the room and instantly fell in love with the beauty of it. The space, the photos, the simplistic beauty that it held. It was safe to say that this was Matilda's favourite spot to be in the entire building. This time, students were gathered in the center of the room. With a glance to Ackerley, the two made their way to greet them.

 It was easy for Matilda to let Ackerley take the lead in the lesson. She wasn't too big on talking at first, until she was somewhat comfortable where she was. And that was something that came with time. Maybe during another time, she would be more open with speaking in front of them. Though she should have assumed that he would pass the conversation on to her, and she quickly thought of something that would be of use in the class. She might as well give pointers right away, and technically she had a volunteer right next to her. And that's what you get for being her friend.

 "To begin, ladies, put one hand on your partner's shoulder, then one hand holding the other's," She mentioned, turning to face the man next to her, placing one of her hands on his shoulder and using her other one to take one of his hands in her own, like she had explained. A grin spread across her face, one of the silly ones that only broke out around him. The genuine kind. "Gentlemen, take your partner's hand and place the other on her waist. This is called resting position." She explained, finishing it off. She hoped that was all she would have to say. She definitely wasn't good at improvising, and that probably proved it. Regardless, she let out a small laugh, pulling herself out of the embrace and turning to face the rest of the students as Ackerley continued on with his speech. She definitely was not going to be speaking again that class.

Magnus was obviously already there leaning against a wall, wearing an all black suit, vest and tie combo, as he watched the lesson, smiling as he remembers how he was taught how to dance, being one of the last of his house and being rather alone in America, he was taught by a childhood friend.

Continuing to watch the lesson, he nodded seeing Ackerley teach them the steps, crossing his arms over his chest with a foot on the wall and the other foot on the floor, he closes his eyes and thinks back in his memory feeling the music and the feeling of when he was taught how to dance, opening his eyes to reveal the silver-blue tint, he grinned to himself 'Maybe I should enchant some instruments to perform?' he thought to himself then shrugged and continued to wait until Ackerley eithers calls him to do the enchantment or whatever else he thinks of.

Magnus fixed his ties as he watched 'I don't think I will ever get used to ties.' he mused in his thoughts to himself then chuckles softly, looking around for any other professors he didn't see many everyone seems to be focused on Ackerley and Matilda.

Blacksuit

Anatole's excitement hadn't ceased yet. His heart still fluttered as Ackerley moved through the crowds, beginning his formal instruction. This would be his class, the only one that Anatole did not expect to fail in.

Dancing. It was all simple coordination that he had attempted to train himself and Rosie. His ambitions were high, thinking that Rosie and he would make one of the best "couples" (once again, not romantic) on the floor with their long strides and sharp turns. They had been practicing lately in their free time, and the more Anatole did it, the more he grew to like the art form.

And Rosie as a person, but that was another story.

Brushing his hair out of his eyes, Anatole saw a single lock of a brown curl. He knew he had heard her voice over the cacophonous crowd! It was her, his hopeful dance partner! Excited, well, maybe a little too excited, Anatole ran over to her, tapping her on the back and springing part of her hair. "Rosie! Rosie!" His eyes gaped open, sparkling like the chandelier with delight.
Prince-like, he cleared his throat, bowing to the girl and outstretching his arm. Anatole cleared his throat, commenting, "Miss Rosie Parker, would you be so delighted to be my dance partner?"

His twinkling brown eyes looked back up at her, expecting a simple yes.

[Assuming it is a yes...]
When Matilda began, he placed his hands in their respective positions, taking a sigh and making sure they were spread out from other couples. Anatole had no idea that there could be someone else here...better than him...better than them!

Nevertheless, he remained calm, looking deep into the girl's eyes and getting situated to move.

Dance lessons were something Amelia had received as a child, just like her mother had. She attended many pureblood events and balls where she was forced to preform the dances she learned quickly with people she didn’t know. Although, there were genuinely enjoyable times when her father was away that her mother would let loose and let her daughter do the same, turning music up loudly in the entrance way of their house. The little girl would sway to music with her mother per her instruction, guiding her step by step. Those were some of the most carefree moments of the Lovell girl’s childhood, and she cherished the memories she had with her mother. Having retained some of those dance moves since those times were precious to her, the first year developed some skill.

With word of there being a ball held at Hogwarts, it made the brunette nervous and excited at the same time. Social gatherings had never been Amelia’s forte, certainly those where you may be expected to dance with a boy. The thought of it brought a feeling of anxiety to the eleven year old, which is why she was headed down to the fourth floor for some practice. The ballroom was holding a dance class for students who wished to attend, and that was exactly what she thought she needed. She just hoped some friends would be present.

Arriving at the big wooden doors that marked the entrance to the school ballroom, the corridors still a tad chilly, the Ravenclaw entered tentatively. She first noticed that there were quite a number of students there, and that left her feeling relieved yet still nervous. Relieved, because she couldn’t be the only one wanting some practice, and nervous because there were a lot of unfamiliar faces. Trying her best to meld in with the crowd, the pureblood entered at an even pace, listening to her footsteps make way on the hardwood floor.

Amelia’s dark brown eyes fell upon her childhood friend, Phedra, and she started to head her way. There weren’t many other people she knew here well enough to start a conversation with, let alone practice dancing with. Approaching Phedra, she noticed how cutely her friend was dressed. Giving her a warm smile, she spoke, “Phedra! How are you? I love the dress.” She felt slightly underdressed in comparison to her friend. She had decided to wear a simple pair of black leggings, a thin white sweater and a solid black pair of flats. Her hair was like her friends, though her own bun was a messy bunch of curls. The eleven year old didn’t put too much thought into her outfits, and that made her think about what she could possibly wear to the ball.

Before any further conversation could take place, Ackerley Blackburn, their Deputy Headmaster, stood at the front of the crowd and spoke for everyone to hear and pay attention to. Learning from him and Matilda and been what the Lovell girl was really looking forward to, and a big reason she was confident enough to make her way down here. They spoke about the passionate seriousness of dancing, and then of how they needed to get partnered up. Her anxiety was at an all time high and she looked once at Phedra and then around the room at all the prospective partners.

Partner up? That was okay, they were all just here for the food anyway. How were you supposed to determine who your partner was? Who were the better partners? Did it go by who looked nicest? Best clothing? Most confident? The boy didn't know, and found it a bit upsetting that the deputy headmaster hadn't said how to choose your partner. After some consideration, he figured if it wasn't mentioned, then it didn't matter who he picked. And if that was true he may as well go with someone who seemed to be confident. He could probably learn the most from someone like that. And there were very few confident people there. It narrowed down the search a lot. And from there he just found the first girl that caught his eye. Rhemu had bright red hair, and a bright red dress. It was pretty hard to miss. Walking up to her, Still moving a little awkwardly on the stone floor, he reached a hand into his robe. It was customary to start the dance with a gift, wasn't it? As a sign of friendship, or at least the start of one. Feeling along his side, the ravenclaw boy found what he was looking for. A long, hardened leather case. Opening it, and reaching inside he produced a flower that he thought would match what he assumed was her favorite color. The flower had been dried, but it's vibrant color remained. a brittle yet strong, slightly bent green stalk with no leaves held a bright red flower. It looked similar to a round thistle, but the spikes were all round, even though it had dried, the red was extremely bright, like a ruby, intricately carved by mother nature herself. He had seen the flower in the fens one day, and had dried it, finding the thing interesting. As he offered the flower, he listened to what the female professor was saying. Well, he couldn't very well place his hands correctly until after she accepted or declined the flower.

Eris was late, of course. There wasn't a legitimate reason why. She was just late. It wasn't like she was wearing an extremely nice outfit like some of the other kids. Just a pair of jeans that looked about 10 years old, roughly, a black ichy jacket, and a flower crown. Where she had gotten the flower crown, it was unknown, as she hadn't participated in the events of flower crown making. She had been sleeping to tell the truth. Not that Eris would ever admit to being too lazy to get out of bed. She had heard about the event though, from her dorm mates. Apparently all the professors were flirting. Even their head of house, Professor Cazarez was a gross man. That was the general assumption Eris had came up with after hearing the story of his flower crown flirtation attempts.

Eris arrived into the ball room, students were still asking around for partners. Nobody was, yet, doing the resting position thingy Professor Barrows had attempted to teach. Scowling at the divination teacher, who had so just so happened to have gotten Eris fired from being a prefect , the little red-head stepped fully into the large ballroom and stared at all the other children.

Anatole Evans was there, already with Rosie Parker. That wasn't surprising. Those two were going to get cooties, without a doubt. Kaegen was there. With a flower? With Rhea? Oh no. That was an odd, cootie gathering, thing. Turning away from the site of her dorm mate and (sort of) friend, Eris spotted other faces in the crowd of students. Amelia, Celery, and.. Adam. Oh lord have mercy on her soul.

Of course Adam was here. Why did she keep running into him? Heart pounding her chest, just at the site of her ex-friend, Eris waited for a partner. Hopefully not Adam. That would kill her, inside. And hopefully not one of the professors. She hated them both, with a burning passion. Although the passion wasn't strong enough to keep her from trying to learn how to dance in a way that wouldn't make her look like a monkey.

Watching the doors, Phedra spotted her long time friend, Amelia Lovell, walk through. She gave a long sigh of relief, fully turning around to hold out her arms for a quick hug when Amelia came closer. "Amelia! I'm so glad you're here." The class would be a lot less stressful with familiar company.

Phedra smiled, pulling away from her fellow Ravenclaw. "Thanks! Mum let me pick it out," she stated. "I can't wait to show you the one I have for the real dance. Oh! We should do each other's hair and makeup when the time comes." Any further conversation was cut short by the Deputy Headmaster, Ackerley Blackburn, giving an introduction to the lesson, and Phedra turned to listen. He spoke of dance and the passion and beauty it brought to people, and Phedra found herself nodding along, her views of dance similar to his.

Then, the Headmaster stepped back to allow Professor Barrows to give additional instructions. She asked all students to split into pairs, boy and girl, and explained starting positions. Phedra gave her friend an uneasy look. After Professor Barrows finished, Phedra turned to speak to Amelia once more.

"Well... Here goes nothing," she said in a low voice, crossing her arms. "Do you see anyone you like? Or anyone you know?" Phedra's dark eyes scanned over the crowd of boys, most of them collected away near the back walls. Honestly, none of these boys she really knew all too well. She wanted to ask why she couldn't just dance with her friend - one of them could pretend to be the boy. Still scanning, her eyes briefly paused over a Slytherin boy leaning against a wall, sporting a black tux with green accents. Phedra knew this boy to be pureblood, popular, and on Slytherin's Quidditch team. Registering how long she must've been considering asking him to dance, she quickly turned away, putting the idea behind her. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She was not going to be laughed at today.

Heart starting to beat quicker, Phedra stood, twiddling her thumbs as people around her began to gather in pairs. Maybe this was a bad idea.