CHRISTMAS [EVE] IN WINDSOR || KATIYA

[Deleted]

'Cause I feel like I can do anything when
My head is spinning and my feet off the ground
When I can't stop dancing like no one's around

24 DECEMBER 2025

Christmas was drawing ever closer, and with her Christmas baking done the day before, she had decided to attend the ball. Curing her hair and placing it in this half-updo before applying minimal make-up and her a new dress — a blue, dropped shoulder, belted waist, almost-see through flowery gown. Though it took a lot of convincing of her mother to allow her to buy such a dress, in the end, she had. And she loved the way it molded to her and then flowered out at the bottom. She wasn't the only Bainbridge in attendance; her sister Penelope was as well. She didn't know if the rest of the clan was coming, but she knew that she was alone at this moment.

Taking in the room in which the ball was to be held, her eyes widened in awe. She practically spun around, taking everything in, eyes growing bigger by the second. And eventually, that spinning led to her bumping into someone; dizzy for a moment, her eyes slowly took in the two people before her. Except, it wasn't two people...but two of the same person. She shook her head, closing her eyes as she spoke, "Sorry...I didn't mean to hit into you," she breathed out, slowly her eyes opening. And the person before her, realizing she knew them, made a smile grow on her face, "Kat! I didn't know you were attending!"

@katiya ● DRESS REFERENCE

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

@peytonbainbridge

how much longer did she have to be at the ball? she wasn't sure. probably until her mother decided she'd had enough and they got to go home. she'd wanted to come but part of her wished she was curled up at home with her book or playing the piano. anything was slightly better than this. she scratched at the lace of her dress as it brushed against her shoulders and she caught her mother's 'look' and she stopped, sighing she turned to the table behind her to get something to drink. she took the goblet into her hand and then took the opportunity to duck away from her mother when two rather tall gentleman came to stand at the table. she ducked into the crowd, heard her mother call but she kept walking. there was only so much small talk she could make.

she sipped the drink as she walked through the crowd, trying to find some familiar face. surely there was people there her age, or someone she'd known from school. so far all she saw though was faces she didn't know. as she turned around to try and find a door so she could find somewhere a little less crowded someone bumped into her. luckily she had a firm hold on her grip but it did make her stagger a little, the heels of her shoes tittering dangerously underneath her. "no it's okay." she said as she looked down and smoothed her hand over the bodice of the dress and then the top half of the skirt, making sure she hadn't spilled anything on it. hold on, she knew that voice. her head snapped up so fast it almost undid her hair and she smiled widely. "oh thank merlin." she said as she took a step towards her friend.

[Deleted]

'Cause I feel like I can do anything when
My head is spinning and my feet off the ground
When I can't stop dancing like no one's around

Peyton hadn't initially sure if she would go to the Christmas Ball or not but ultimately decided to go. It was something good during a time of darkness; plus, it was her last year at Hogwarts. What better way to spend her last Christmas Hogwarts Holiday than to attend a Ball? Of course, she left enough time to get a dress, something she had seen in the first store she had gone to when on the search. She was excited, and that showed in her demeanor the moment she entered the ballroom.

And that excitement was what made her spin into another person, and luckily, it was a person she knew. Luckily for Peyton, she didn't seem too affected by the spin that had almost made her lose her drink. The blonde watched as she smoothed out her dress, and then, almost as if realizing who she was speaking to, the ginger's head snapped up. A smile slowly appeared on the blonde's face, "Thank god I didn't make you drop your drink," she breathed out, taking in the dress that her friend wore. "I love your dress," she said, her voice filled with the excitement that she felt, grinning from ear-to-ear, happiness shining in her eyes.

@katiya● DRESS REFERRENCE

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

@peytonbainbridge

she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar face in front of her. it hadn't been a brilliant night so far and while she wanted to enjoy the night for her parents she'd really rather be at home curled up with a good book with her cat in her lap, the fire crackling in the background and a jug of hot chocolate sitting next to her. she wasn't a huge crowd, big party kind of person. but there was a familiar and friendly right in front of her and suddenly the world didn't look so grim.

"oh it would only make it look better." she said with a laugh as she glanced down at the dress before looking up at peyton. "yours is gorgeous!" she said with a huge smile. it was one of the perks about the night, seeing all the different dresses people were wearing. she wasn't hugely into fashion but there were certain times she enjoyed looking at the nicer things. she was in jeans and boots so often that she sometimes forgot she had skirts and things shoved in the back of her wardrobe, much to her mothers annoyance. "here." she said as she reached out to grab peytons hand. "let's talk over there." she said as she motioned to the edge of the party where the crowd was thinner and there was less noise.

dress reference

[Deleted]

'Cause I feel like I can do anything when
My head is spinning and my feet off the ground
When I can't stop dancing like no one's around

The idea of being the reason that Kat's dress was ruined made her bite her bottom lip. The beautiful material stained with the drink would have been dramatically bad, especially since it was still early within the night. But the minute that Kat mentioned it would have made the dress look better, she found herself joining in on the laughter. She doubted she would have felt the same way, but she was glad that her friend took it so lightly. Then again, the dress was black and would lack the appearance of a stain. But the idea of constantly feeling sticky would have made Peyton uncomfortable for the entire night.

'Yours is gorgeous!' A slight blush appeared on pale cheeks as she played with the material of her dress, smiling brightly, "Thank you," her voice was somewhat high pitched from excitement and embarrassment. While Peyton wore dresses here and there, wearing a ballgown as she currently did, was somewhat out of her comfort zone. But she was glad that she had picked something that everyone liked, including herself. 'Here.' Came the voice of her friend as she grasped Peyton's hands, adding for them to talk at the edge of the party.

The blonde nodded her head, allowing the ginger to led her away from the center of attention and to a place where they could hear one another. The loudness of the party seemed almost drowned out by the silence. And the fact that people weren't crowded around where they now stood. "How has your holiday been?" she questioned once she could hear herself think once more.

@katiya ● DRESS REFERENCE

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

@peytonbainbridge

there would have been perks to having her drink spilled all over her dress. one of them might have been her mother letting her go home or at least go somwhere quiet to change. but since it could have been fixed so easily with magic she didn't think that was actually something her mother would have agreed to. it was first year magic after all. she saw the blush in her friends cheeks as she complimented her dress and it made her smile all the more. "it's strange isn't it. i'm not used to having so much skirt!" kat said with a laugh as she twisted her hips a little, making the fabric of her dress swish about her feet softly.

she led peyton towards the edge of the dance floor and when they reached it she took a deep breath, resting her hands on her hips and blowing a breath into her forehead to blow a stray strand of hair off her face. "now i can breathe." she said as she looked back towards the packed dance floor where her father and mother were mingling with the public. no one would ever accuse katiya krum of being shy, but she didn't like uncontrolled chaos and having to smile all the time.

she didn't like being in situations where she felt she needed to act a certain way. she liked just being herself but herself didn't seem to be enough for her mother now her father was minister. "it's been something." she said with a slight roll of her eyes and a half smile. it hadn't been all bad and she had had some time to just sit there and play her music, play with her kitten and read some of her books. she'd even glanced at the homework she'd been given at the start of the holidays. nomally she ignored it until a few days before school went back but this year she'd actually done some of it. "how was yours?"

dress reference

[Deleted]

'Cause I feel like I can do anything when
My head is spinning and my feet off the ground
When I can't stop dancing like no one's around

Peyton laughed, "Well, it's a pretty skirt, that's for sure," she said, watching as her friend twisted her hips and allowed the fabric to swish about. Once they had moved away from as many people as possible, Kat mentioned that she could breathe now, and she smiled, "I'm glad. It's pretty bustling," Peyton added, glancing around and taking in the people that had attended. She even followed her friend's line of sight, taking in Victor and Elena Krum.

The conversation moved to their holiday, a conversation that Peyton had started with a simple question, one that got a massive answer in response and a roll of eyes. She frowned deeply, "What's happened that warrants such a response?" she questioned, a small laugh leaving her lips. The question was changed towards her, and she shrugged her shoulders, "I can't complain. It's been pretty uneventful."

@katiya ● DRESS REFERENCE

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

@peytonbainbridge

what warranted it? the fact that she'd had to smile through multiple events because of her father's rise to minister. she wasn't shy but she didn't like having to put on airs and graces while in the public eye. did she support her father? of course. did she wish she could just stay out of it? also yes. there was only so much smiling a person could do in one night and she'd just about reached her quota. though when it came to her friends she'd have no trouble. "this isn't the first event i've had to smile my way through." she said with a half smile as she glanced back towards her parents.

she looked back at peyton and listened fully to her friend. hers was one of the first friendly faces that kat had been happy to see and she wasn't about to let peyton out of her sight. "sounds like my kind of summer!" kat said with a little laugh. she glanced around the ball room for a second before she looked back to peyton. "do you want to see if we can sneak anywhere else?" she said as she started to take a few steps away from the crowd. "i'm just dying to see what books they have in this place."

dress reference