[LEAH TAYLOR]

Leah walked into the Great Hall, unsure of what to expect. She had been to heaps of dances at Beauxbaton's Academy, but she didn't think that the Hogwart's version would have much in common with those. For starters, Beauxbatons Academy was a lot more prim & proper than Hogwarts appeared to be. You would never find students macking in the corridors, or jumping in the lake at Beauxbatons. If a student did that there, they would be out. On the contrary, at Hogwarts, everyone seemed to be doing crazy things, and the teachers watched on idly. Leah had walked into a room at least 5 times already, praying for some privacy, and there would already be a couple in there, apparently looking for some privacy themselves. Leah made sure each time to make them thoroughly uncomfortable. One time she even walked straight up to a couple that seemed to be surgically attatched at the lips, and took the boy's head in her hands, kissing him firmly. Ignoring the stunned looks on the pair's faces, she said softly, "and that's how it's done". She then turned on her heel and exited the room, just in time to hear the girl screaming at her boyfriend, or perhaps ex-boyfriend. Leah laughed out loud. "That was so worth it..." she thought to herself.

So, judging by her experiences over the last few days, she supposed that this dance would be a massive orgy. She didn't really feel like going, but she supposed so ought to introduce herself to someone...she was getting nasty looks from all the girls at the school, and rumours were already starting to circulate. A girl came up to her yesterday and asked if she had been to jail. Leah gave her the eye narrow that made most people quiver with fear and said, "oh yeah, a few times. Don't know why they let me out so early...but, here I am." She stared the girl down until she slowly backed away, eager to spread this new piece of juicy gossip to her friends.

Leah wasn't really sure how adolescent England would do Halloween. She had seen movies, of course, where all the girls dressed as whores, which was scary enough for Leah's liking. Leah decided to wear her old Beauxbatons uniform, with a few alterations of course. She had shortened it, tightened it, and ripped it in a few places, putting a bit of fake blood over her heart. Original? Perhaps not - but it was all she could be bothered to put together, she assumed she would only be at the dance for an hour or two anyway.

As soon as Leah entered, she made her way over to the Refreshment table, grabbing herself a glass of Butterbeer, and scanning the table for something a bit stronger. Seeing nothing, she thanked herself for always being prepared, and spiked her drink with something that was definitely not Butterbeer. She turned around and sipped her drink, surveying the room before her, scanning for potential conversation and a bit of fun.

[BYRON BELBY]

Byron hated dances. Hated, hated, hated dances. He liked dancing, that was a different matter. Dancing was beautiful and elegant, and he could watch a pair engaged in a graceful waltz or a sensuous tango for hours. No, that wasn't the point. The problem was being in a crowded room in the mid-dark with people pushing around and jostling him. He hadn't wanted to come here, this was definitely not his idea. He'd come with his friends. Who were gone, Merlin knows where, and he was here trying to work out whether it would be better to escape back to somewhere he could be alone, or wait until somebody came to find him. They'd just forgotten him, he thought bitterly.

He was filled with the strong urge to duck under the table and hide there, but he knew that would gain attention far more than standing around and acting normal. So he was waiting out of the centre of mayhem by the refreshments table, wiping the rim of the glass of Butterbeer with his sleeve automatically before drinking. He hated how glasses were always covered in other people's fingerprints and he wished that he'd brought his own drink. He took a tentative sip, relaxing slightly at the warm flavour of the Butterbeer.

His clothes fit his personality well. He was wearing his dress robes; loose form-fitting silk in peacock blue that swirled with every movement and felt light and comfortable in the stifling heat of the crowd. His hair was combed back with a few tendrils tucked behind his ear, and a blue mask covering half of his face, Phantom of the Opera style. So far, nobody had given any indication of recognising him, and that was just how he liked it. He glanced to his side, seeing a girl there and ducking his head awkwardly in case she thought he was staring.

[LEAH TAYLOR]

Leah continued to survey the room, and found that she was getting extremely bored, extremely quickly. Nobody was approaching her, but she didn't really take that to heart. It wasn't as though she radiated warmth and kindness. In fact, there was a strange absence of people at the refreshment table. Leah wasn't sure if this was because people weren't thirsty, or were having too much fun to take some time out, or if it was because she was standing directly in front of it.

She was about to drop dead of boredom. She considered perhaps forcing herself onto the dancefloor, but then thought better of it... the alcohol hadn't really taken effect yet, and what was she going to do anyway? Dance by herself? She probably could have gone and joined a group and made friendly conversation, but she really could not be bothered to go to all that effort. So instead, she decided to wait a few more minutes, and if someone had still not approached the refreshment table, then she was out of there.

It was around this time when Leah noticed a group of guys entering the room. She watched them enter the dancefloor enthusiastically, and they were soon lost in the crowd. However, one of their members seemed to have gotten separated, and yep, he was heading for the Refreshments. "Thank god," Leah thought to herself.

He was wearing a mask, so Leah couldn't actually tell who he was, or if she had seen him before, which had it's negatives and positives. He could be hideously ugly, or he could not be...she decided to risk it and start up some conversation. If he was weird, or rude, then she could always just leave...

She walked up to him and tapped him softly on the shoulder. "Hi there, mystery man. I'm Leah, and you look lost," she said, with a raised eyebrow. "Are these things always like this...?" she asked, waving her hand in the direction of the wild dancing and raucous laughter. "And is it just me, or do these people seem to not need refreshments?" she added, pointing to the deserted space that surrounded them.

[BYRON BELBY]

He was beginning to wonder whether maybe he ought to leave. Yes, he had dressed up ready for this 'bash'- wasn't that just such a negative word? Though probably much more appropriate than 'dance' since what most people were doing could hardly be described as dancing. He hadn't been sure what he'd been expecting, but he really ought to have foreseen this, since it encompassed so many things he despised. The first of which was the crowd. The refreshments table was a safe bet since it was far enough from the dance floor. And if the glasses of drink could stand safely on the table top without being knocked over, then he was probably safe as well.

In vain, he wondered where Herman was. His friend should be here, just to make Byron feel a little better. Or he could suggest that the two of them skip the dance and go off somewhere instead. That would be better than standing around doing nothing.

The girl he'd noticed before suddenly touched his shoulder, and he managed not to flinch away. He didn't really like strangers touching him, it gave him the creeps. But he'd learnt enough about manners to know that it would be considered impolite to pull away, so he stayed still and twisted slightly to see what she wanted. At first, he assumed that she wanted to get past him to the table, but then she spoke.

Surprised that she was actually trying to make conversation with him, he then realised that she wouldn't be able to recognise him with this mask on. He knew her, as she was in his House, but couldn't quite recall her name until she introduced herself. Leah. That rang a bell, although he wouldn't have been able to guess it if she hadn't said.

"I'm not sure exactly, I've never been to one before."

He'd usually stayed well away during social functions. Maybe he'd almost been challenging himself by coming to this one. Maybe he'd wanted to see whether this supposed improvement in his social anxiety actually meant anything. He knew he'd got better. The old him wouldn't have been able to get a full and coherent sentence out when addressed by a strange girl.

"You're right. Too busy dancing, maybe." he suggested, realising that he hadn't answered her second remark.

It might be polite to introduce himself, but he found that he almost liked to be referred to as 'mystery man' rather than his real name. Besides, if she knew who he was, she probably wouldn't want to talk to him. He wasn't sure if he actually wanted to talk to her, but it was nice not to just be dismissed as weird for once.

[LEAH TAYLOR]

This mystery man wasn't as much as a conversationalist as she had hoped. She had been nice enough to come over here and introduce herself, and he hadn't even returned that favour...in fact, he had barely been able to spit out two words. Leah rolled her eyes, not really bothering with how rude that gesture may have looked. She really was not in the mood for this, she decided to coax a little more speech out of him, perhaps she would try and fire him up just so they could have some form of shouting match...normally she wouldn't have bothered, butshe was just so bored with this school, and was determined to be on first name terms, or even last name terms, with at least one person before she exited the hall tonight.

"Gee buddy, you sure are talkative! Do you talk to all girls this way, or I am I just extra special?" she asked in a fake sprightly voice. Then her tone changed. "I'm not going to ask who you are, obviously you don't want me to know, otherwise you would have done the polite and courteous thing and reciprocated he offer when I introduced myself. However, I will ask you this - are you just completely stupid that you can't have an intellectual conversation or do you just not want to talk to me?" she asked. She then realised that she probably sounded like a whiney little bitch, one of the types of people Leah hated profusely. "Honestly, I won't complain if you tell me to piss off...I really can deal with that," she added, hoping to try and counteract for her previous little tantrum.

She hoped this speech would somehow break this boy from his reverie. She highly doubted that he was unintelligent, and he was at perfect right not to talk to her - it wasn't like he approached her...and if he asked her to go away, then she would do so with her head held high. She was just interested to see how he reacted, because you can always judge a persons character on how they respond to awkward and difficult situations like the one she had just placed this mystery man in.

[BYRON BELBY]

Byron blinked rapidly, one hand clutching the table as if for support and the other wrapped tightly around the glass of Butterbeer he was holding. He really could not understand what he'd done wrong. First she rolled her eyes rudely at him, which he took to mean that she was bored with him and wanted him to be quiet, and then she started ranting at him for being too quiet. He was at a loss. He might be less socially able than your average teenager, but he usually could work out when he'd said the wrong thing and when he'd been doing okay, and he honestly hadn't seen anything wrong with what he'd said to her.

"I don't talk much." he defended himself, because it was true. "I talk to everybody this way. Not just you, and not just girls, and it's... I can't help it."

He wasn't unintelligent, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he was only truly articulate when it came to writing. When he talked, his mind and his mouth got jumbled up and his words often seemed to come out wrong. So that was why he always thought hard before he said anything with people he didn't know, otherwise he ended up offending them or just making no sense. But it seemed he had offended her here without realising it. Now he was probably making things worse, because he was stuttering and he felt himself going slightly red under the mask from embarrassment. This was why he rarely socialised; he was so bad at it.

"I'm not very good at talking, I apologize. I'm not unintelligent- I'm in Ravenclaw." he added.

[LEAH TAYLOR]

Leah cocked her head to one side, a Ravenclaw? Damn, now she felt bad...he was one of her kind. She had no idea. People should wear badges or something around here. She listened as he explained he wasn't much of a talker, and most Ravenclaws weren't, so that was perfectly understandable. He seemed completely shocked that she had had a go at him, and she took that to mean that he wasn't shunning her, and he was just telling the truth when he said he wasn't a conversationalist.

"Ahh, I thought perhaps you were the brooding brainy type," she said, trying to redeem herself. "Ravenclaw? I must have seen you around then...you do have a familiar look about you. I'm in Ravenclaw too - you see, but I don't spend that much time in the Common Room... I prefer to explore the castle. I'm new here, in case you weren't aware...have you seen me around?" she asked, trying to be polite.

She decided that she would like to be friends with this masked man - he was in her house after all, and it would be nice to have a company in the Common Room - even if he didn't speak. It was sometimes pleasant to read a book in the company of another, even if no words were said. Perhaps he could introduce her to other Ravenclaws, who she would be able to speak to about various world issues which she supposed they would know all about...yes, she would like to be friends, or at least acquaintances, with this boy. She gave him a sweet smile - she knew her behaviour was erratic and confusing, but that was just her, and people would have to get used to that, because she sure as hell wasn't going to change a thing.

[BYRON BELBY]

He was admittedly even more confused now than ever. Was she now being nice to him just because he had told her that he was a Ravenclaw? Did that explain something to her? He didn't allow himself to relax just yet in case she flipped back to being scary again, which was entirely posible from his perspective.

"Maybe. I'm not in the common room much either."

It was often just too crowded and rowdy what with seven years' worth of Ravenclaws clamouring for space. He preferred to spend time with Herman or just on his own, either in the dormitory where it was usually more quiet, or in their own spots around the school.

"I believe I have seen you around, but I didn't know your name." he said with a hint of uncomfortable formality, taking another sip.

He wasn't new; he'd been at Hogwarts for six years. But he thought he probably knew less people than she did, because he always seemed to just fade into the background. That was how he liked it. Even though he didn't really like being left all on his own and ignored, it was better than people being cruel to him and teasing him for being odd or weird.

"New, you said." he said, trying valiantly to start up a normal conversation "Did you transfer from somewhere else?"

[LEAH TAYLOR]

The boy still seemed tense...she really did not have the most comforting air about it, and decided that at least for awhile, she should try and be more accommodating to peoples feelings...not everyone had an iron heart like her.

She listened as he explained he wasn't in the common room very much either. Well at least they had hit level ground in that department. Leah found the school of Hogwarts fascinating, and could not for the life of her understand why people would spend their time cooped up in the tiny common room when they could be out studying the beautiful history and architecture that was amongst these walls. She went off in to a sort of daydream about the previous day when she had really wanted to find something extra special, and there, out of nowhere popped a door. She went inside and there was a room with all of her favourite things. It was crazy, surreal, and wonderful. However, when she had tried to get back there today, the door was gone. She snapped out of her reverie when the boy asked her a question.

"Oh yeah, I came from Beauxbatons. I went on exchange to France when I was 10 and kind of never left... but yeah, my dad wanted me to stay closer to London for my final two years of school.
This wasn't the singular or most prominent reason why she moved back to London, but it wasn't as if she was going to tell this boy whose name she still didn't know, or anyone for that matter. She didn't need their pity.
She turned back to him, "have you been here since first year?" she asked, expecting a no. He didn't seem entirely comfortable with his surroundings...which could mean that he hadn't been here for very long. The fact that he was standing alone at the Refreshment Table also made her believe he didn't know that many people, which left less room for mingling.

[BYRON BELBY]

Byron had never been to France. He'd never even been out of Britain. Until he'd come to Hogwarts, he hadn't even been away from his home country of Wales (well, many argued that Wales wasn't a country but a principality of England, but it made little difference). But he didn't have much desire to leave. He liked to read books of far-away countries and even completely different worlds, but he didn't think they would ever be as exciting as they were in his own head. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd find it scary and overwhelming.

The only place he could be brave was inside his head. He could go on all sorts of adventures, pitting himself against the most fearsome of foes, but when it came to reality he could be sent into a fit of panic by another student being cruel to him. He knew he wasn't hero material and he was the furthest thing from a Gryffindor. Although he bitterly called himself a coward, that wasn't really it. He couldn't help being overly anxious and paranoid about everything; sometimes he hated not being the same as everybody else. It wasn't fair. His Mum always insisted that was just who he was and he should be proud of that, but he spent most of his life wishing he was somebody else.

"Yes, and this is my sixth year." he said, knowing instantly why she'd asked.

He knew that he looked completely out of place, even when he had been here for so long that he should really feel comfortable. But although he was used to Hogwarts and could feel safe within its walls, and although he'd been here for so long that he knew places to hide when he felt that he had to, he was currently in a situation that would automatically make him seem uncomfortable and awkward. If he'd met Leah in a one to one situation away from crowds, in daylight, where he didn't feel so cramped and claustrophobic, then this might be completely different.

It was also true that he didn't know many people. He did actually like to have friends, but he didn't work well with big groups and gangs, preferring to spend time with one person at a time. It also didn't help that so many people thought that he was strange.

[LEAH TAYLOR]

Leah surveyed the boy carefully - there was something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on, which was strange for Leah because she was awfully good at reading people. He was definitely a bit anxious, she could tell - but so were most Ravenclaws, and in fact, most people. Some just hid it better than others.

"Yes, and this is my sixth year."
So he had been here for the whole time. She chatised herself for assuming, and admitted to herself that she was completely and utterley baffled by this boy. She wasn't used to being ignored. Well, technically...she wasn't being ignored. But she was used to guys falling at her feet to get her attention - and this guy certainly wasn't doing that. She kind of liked it, it was refreshing and she found herself intrigued.

"So you're in my house, you're in my year...honestly, why don't I know you?" she asked, then realised it was a stupid question. Leah didn't really socialise unless people came upto her...except in situations like tonight...and she could tell that this boy wasn't exactly a social butterfly. "Sorry mystery man, that was dumb. I know exactly why I don't know you. We both are outcasts." she said, gesturing to the full dancefloor and the empty refreshment table. "Unwilling to change ourselves and conform to social conventions...and I sure wouldn't want to be any other way" she finished, watching a boy and girl grinding unashamedly against a nearby wall.

She made a disgusted face in the general direction of them and took a swig of her flask, offering some to the boy. She was fairly sure he wouldn't take it, but it would be rude not to offer anyway - and this boy was no ordinary boy, everything that she had assumed about him so far had been wrong, so she decided to assume no longer.

[BYRON BELBY]

"I don't socialise much." he offered as a possible explanation.

In fact, he downright avoided people. She was right in her definition of him as an outcast. People tended to avoid him as well, so it worked both ways. It wasn't that he disliked people, in fact he often wished he had the grace and confidence to move easily in social circles. But unfortunately, any conversation he attempted tended to end in him saying the wrong thing or being misunderstood and usually concluded in him making a humiliated escape.

So it wasn't that he was unwilling to change himself. Sometimes, he longed to be more comfortable and confident. He wanted to fit in, to be accepted, to be loved and therefore be happy. But it was also true that he didn't really even understand the conventions of the society he lived in, and often found it to be utterly trivial and foolish. He supposed he had an outside perspective. He wasn't one of them, so he could make detached judgements about their life which he failed to understand.

He followed her gaze to the couple, feeling his cheeks turn pink as they turned to give him a look which clearly said 'what the hell are you looking at?' Averting his eyes quickly so they wouldn't think he was staring, he was thankful that the mask hid a proportion of his face so it wouldn't be too obvious that he was blushing. It wasn't the act in general that had embarrassed him, more the idea that they had thought he was staring at them. Which he probably had been, but only because he'd wanted to see what Leah was looking at. This was precisely the situation that often got him into trouble.

Taking the flask from her almost automatically, it took him a moment to realise he had no idea what he was being offered. Although if it was in a private flask, it probably wasn't anything so innocent as pumpkin juice. He eyed it suspiciously, then looked at her.

"What is this?"