So, the big dance was here at last. And Violet had actually managed to get a date to it. And what's more, miracle of miracles, no monsters, dark wizards, or prying Ministry officials or Board members had managed to create some new disaster at Hogwarts to spoil it. Finally, a nice, normal year, when Violet could manage to feel like a nice, normal girl (or as normal as a Blackthorne could manage). And not quite a girl anymore, either--young woman was more like it, right? That's why, after much debate, she'd chosen more of a grown up dress for this dance (what was the point of being nineteen if you couldn't go a little more mature for something like this, after all?). Struggling to pick among the dance themes, she couldn't decide on an element, with all their various underlying House connotations, and finally wound up going with an outer space theme in a much brighter color than she usually wore. Her younger uncle had wanted her to wear something schoolgirlish and her older uncle, something more like a royal court dress than a dress for dancing, and her grandfather, pretty much anything that was not so low-cut. But Violet had her own allowance now and was of age and was quite capable of carrying an argument with her family members at this point in life, so she had gotten the dress she wanted.

Passing through the dance floor, Violet noticed Ashley twirling around and around in a dress that admittedly asked to be twirled. "Hi, Ashley!" she called as she got hear her. She realized she hadn't spent much time with her friend this year, what with the N.E.W.T.S. and suddenly spending so much time with Caes. Violet felt a bit guilty at this--and this was her last year at Hogwarts, so there was no time to make it up, at least not at school. How did Ash manage to twirl like that without landing in a heap?

But most of Violet's attention was taken up by trying to find Caes. She had a sudden panic attack that he wasn't turning up after all, which she immediately squelched because she knew he wouldn't do that. But where was he? Maybe they should have arranged to come out together from the Common Room, but stupid her, she'd taken so long time to get dressed tonight that she told him to go on and she'd meet him. Well, wait, where would Caes be, all by himself at a dance? If not in tow by his younger sister, he would be...lurking by himself at the outskirts of the room! And indeed, that was where he was.

Looking at his attire, Violet was even gladder that she hadn't picked one of the overly formal gowns her grandfather and uncle had preferred, because Caes had definitely gone the understated route. But Violet thought he looked great, and he looked just like Caes, and she would not want him to dress otherwise. She could not believe that she was here at a Hogwarts dance with a boy she liked, and just hoped that no Acromantulas or evil wizards would show up in the middle of things this time. "Hi, Caes!" she said when she had come right up by him.