The Lighthouse Keeper (Yvonne)

[brody christopher dubois]

December 24, 2025

A royal ball was worlds more impressive than a school dance, and Brody had very nearly chickened out of the whole thing if not for Yvonne's promise that she would be there. Talking his parents into letting him and his siblings stay at the Leaky Cauldron for the winter break rather than Hogwarts so that he would have easier access to the ball than he would from the castle had been a little bit terrifying, but staying at the inn was way better than how things had been over the summer at the orphanage and a lot easier than traveling internationally for the holidays.

While they wouldn't technically be going there as a couple, that was in the back of Brody's mind from the time he went to buy a new set of dress robes on the first day of the winter break to the moment he entered the ball itself. Grateful that he wasn't overdressed in the robes he'd bought—essentially a classic black tuxedo in terms of the styling—he looked around the room in amazement. Of course he had pictured something fancy, but it really was like nothing he'd seen at Ilvermorny or Hogwarts. There were all sorts of people there; there were even a few magical celebrities, but he knew better than to bother any of them. He was only really looking for one person, after all, and he hadn't seen her yet.

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

━ callin' it quits now, baby, i'm a wreck━

SINCE AGREEING TO YVETTE'S PLEADS and begs to attend the Christmas Party, the older De Snaijer twin found herself facing regret just an hour or so in. She hadn't wanted to come in the first place, still conflicted over her feelings for both of her closest friends. She wanted to spend the start and the entire duration of the Christmas break in simple isolation, cooped in her room away from her siblings, family and even everything that reminded her of school. But now she was here, all dolled up, hair pinned back and her choice of dress and its colour being out of her comfort zone - simply to impress her grandmother once more. Luckily, the moment she had decided to attend the ball, she also let Brody and Gideon know, in separate owls of course and mentioned she would hope to see them there.

Walking past the dance floor while Yvette was having fun with some friends she met up with, Yvonne smiled small to herself when she noticed Brody, somewhat idling around the tables. Slowly and discreetly walking over to him, Yvonne tugged at his arm a little, a small smile creeping up onto her lips. "New tux?" She commented, slightly looking at him up and down. "And here I was thinking you weren't gonna come at all.." Not that the De Snaijer would've minded that option. She felt awkward around both Gideon and Brody as of lately, especially since she was confused with her feelings.

| brody christopher dubois |

dress reference minus the flower and the polka dots hehe

[brody christopher dubois]

December 24, 2025

Brody felt someone tugging lightly at his arm and turned right as he realized that it was Yvonne who had snuck up beside him. She was wearing a beautiful pink dress—or a gown, really—that made her look like a princess herself, Brody thought, though he didn't know if that would be too cheesy a compliment to give her. He knew that she had asked him something, too, but it took him a moment to remember that she had specifically asked if he was wearing a new tux.

"Yeah," he answered her, surprised that she had noticed. He could feel his cheeks reddening a little as he smiled at her. Yvonne had always looked beautiful to him, even when she wasn't made up, but she looked especially beautiful then.

"And here I was thinking you weren't gonna come at all…" Yvonne added.

"And miss out on seeing the inside of the palace?" he laughed, though he really wanted to mention right off the bat that it was because he wanted to spend time with her. He then paused but didn't take his eyes off her. "Is, uh, that dress new? It looks really nice."

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

━ callin' it quits now, baby, i'm a wreck━

ORIGINALLY HAVING THE INTENTION TO avoid both Brody and Gideon, Yvonne knew her attitude would change the moment she saw either of them. Creeping up to Brody was funny at first, especially since she knew he wasn't expecting it. At his answer, Yvonne looked him up and down once more, pretending to dust away imaginary dust on his tux. "It looks good." She added as a compliment, her small smile growing a little wider.

As he laughed, the Slytherin found herself laughing alongside him. She knew Brody would've turned up even if she didn't bother to attend, considering his curiosity for new places. It was truly adorable the more Yvonne thought about it. "Typical of you." She smiled, laughing quietly along with him. At his question, Yvonne nodded slowly, looking down at her dress and feet before up at him. "Lila chose it...I wanted something completely different but..Here we are." She sighed, looking down again. "Does it..look weird?.." She questioned. Yvonne thought she looked more like her twin, minus their usual noticeable differences

| brody christopher dubois |

dress reference minus the flower and the polka dots, sorry for the wait!

[brody christopher dubois]

December 24, 2025

Yvonne mentioned that his dress robes looked good, and Brody couldn't help smiling back as she smiled at him. She wasn't someone who heaped on the compliments, so he knew that she meant it and wasn't just saying that to be nice. She also said that it was "typical" of him to have shown up to see the inside of the palace. He didn't entirely know what she meant by that, but he supposed that it was another rare Yvonne compliment.

At his own compliment in reaction to what she was wearing, Yvonne mentioned that Lila—whom he knew was the de Snaijers's grandmother—had picked it out for her. She said that she had wanted something completely different, actually, but here she was.

Regardless of who had picked it out, Brody still thought that it looked nice on her. Yvonne, though, didn't sound as sure, and looked down at the dress. "Does it… look weird?" she asked him.

Brody didn't think so, at least, not that he was that experienced with that kind of thing. "No," he told her, but then he quickly followed it up by adding, "I mean, I don't think it looks weird…" He shook his head to emphasize his point. "You look really pretty, Vonni," he continued, running his hand through his hair. "I mean it." Honestly, he thought that she looked like a princess herself.

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

━ callin' it quits now, baby, i'm a wreck━

AT HIS RESPONSE, YVONNE'S LIPS ONLY grew into a wider smile. She had felt iffy all night despite Yvette and their eldest sibling reassuring her time and time again that she looked fine but hearing from Brody felt...Different. A good different? That was something the De Snaijer couldn't tell just yet. Soft eyes watched as Brody ran his hand through his hair, something that Yvonne noted long ago meant that the Dubois was somewhat nervous. As an initial response, Yvonne couldn't help but let a quiet laugh pass by her lips, her hands raising to cover her smile as she continued to laugh.

"You've never called me pretty...Until now, you know." She teased, knowing that somewhere along the long line of their friendship Brody must have said those exact words. But playing dumb for the night was more enjoyable, especially since the Slytherin knew the type of response Brody would come up with. "Thank you." She added quietly, giving him a genuine smile. "I thought I'd hate it but...I think I hate it a little less now."

| brody christopher dubois |

dress reference minus the flower and the polka dots, so so sorry for the wait!

[brody christopher dubois]

December 24, 2025

"You've never called me pretty…" Yvonne pointed out to him. By the way her voice trailed off, Brody thought for sure that she had picked up on what he was still scared to say to her aloud. He had never been afraid of complimenting her, but mentioning how "pretty" she looked when she was all dressed up like that was different and obviously more… serious? It wasn't really something that people said casually, was it? When Yvonne added, "Until now, you know," Brody tried not to linger on it. She had heard him, but it was too hard to gauge how she felt about it. Was she just trying to be nice?

She thanked him, though, and Brody knew by how quietly she had spoken and how gently she had smiled that Yvonne meant it. "I thought I'd hate it," she admitted, "but… I think I hate it a little less now."

Brody hoped that she wasn't uncomfortable. If they were just at Hogwarts in the Great Hall or something, he would have said something about how he didn't mind if she went and changed, but she didn't really have that option when surrounded by royalty. He could at least try to make her feel more comfortable, though. "I'm glad," he said to her. "Do you, uh, maybe want to dance with me?" he asked her then, thinking that he might as well take that chance. "You don't have to," he added, "but it's a ball, and…"

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

━ callin' it quits now, baby, i'm a wreck━

IT WASN'T COMMON FOR YVONNE to hear compliments from those she actually cared for, but hearing something from Brody, especially when a small crush for the Dubois had developed lately...It only lead to the De Snaijer feeling incredibly shy about almost anything. Considering where they were now though, Yvonne didn't have a choice but enhance her 'natural beauty' or whatever it was Yvette and even Lila had said. Especially since they were in the presence of royalty too. 'Appearances mattered' after all.

As Brody stammered on after his request for a dance, Yvonne's smile softened a bit, noticing how he continued to speak just to add filler to it all. "I'd love to." She smiled, gently taking his hand and leading him out towards the dance floor amongst all the other couples.

| brody christopher dubois |

dress reference minus the flower and the polka dots

[brody christopher dubois]

December 24, 2025

Brody knew that Yvonne wasn't really one of those girls who gushed about wanting to be a princess or have some sort of fairytale ending, but how many times in her life would she get to be at an actual royal ball? It was sort of a fantasy for anyone, Brody considered, especially as young as they were. They weren't accomplished or anything yet, just teenagers, but that didn't mean that they couldn't enjoy themselves for a night.

Yvonne agreed to dance with him and led him out onto the floor. Once they had found a spot to begin, Brody took Yvonne's waist and checked the grown men who looked like they knew what they were doing to make sure that he had his hands positioned right. Embarrassingly, he didn't; this wasn't a school dance. He readjusted how his hands were placed to make sure that he at least looked like he could dance well. Okay, he thought, this isn't too bad…" He grinned at Yvonne. "I'm sorry in advance if I step on your feet."

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

━ callin' it quits now, baby, i'm a wreck━

AS THE TWO HEADED OUT to the floor, and as Brody's hands found their way up to Yvonne's waist, the De Snaijer found herself blushing a little lightly. She knew it was all part of fitting in with the rest of the attendees, but it was somewhat endearing as Yvonne knew Brody's hands were far from how they should be positioned. But as he adjusted his hands and grinned up at her, Yvonne couldn't help but grin back.

"Step on my feet and I'll leave immediately." She replied back, wrapping her arms around Brody's neck to mimic some of the women who had done so with their partners. She was slightly half-joking, but also half-not. The thought of having her foot stepped on in front of all these people would've definitely resulted in anger pouring out of the Slytherin...One way or another anyway.

| brody christopher dubois |

dress reference minus the flower and the polka dots

[brody christopher dubois]

December 24, 2025

If he were to step on her feet, Yvonne warned him, then she would leave immediately. Brody took her at her word, of course, but couldn't resist teasing her right back. "I'd see myself out the door, m'lady," he grinned, affecting as much of a British accent as he could and not realizing that what had come out was closer to Cockney than anything "posh".

Brody could feel his cheeks getting warmer as Yvonne's arms wrapped around his neck. It was the kind of position that would have been perfect for him to kiss her, he thought. If she would leave for accidentally stepping on her foot, though, what would she do if he were to kiss her? He looked down at his feet, more aware of them than he had been, and began to move them in what seemed to be the right steps.

When he gained some of his confidence back that he hadn't just wrecked his chances with Yvonne, he looked back up, smiling at her again. Brody couldn't believe that what he was experiencing was really his life. He hadn't lost Yvonne for good. They weren't just in the same country again; they were at a royal ball, and Yvonne deserved that fairytale ending.

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

━ callin' it quits now, baby, i'm a wreck━

AS YVONNE WARNED BRODY, THE De Snaijer couldn't help but smile in response to his teasing tone and his attempt of a posh British accents. Yvonne had heard enough of them since moving to England, living alongside her siblings and Lia. The accent seemed to rub off on Yvette and their older sibling but Yvonne liked to have some kind of pride in saying she still sounded American. At least when she spoke to other English friends anyway. "Terrible accent by the way." She giggled, knowing the difference between many of the accents from the odd country.

As the two slowly danced, the brunette couldn't help but smile as Brody was rather conscious of his steps, before looking up once more. "You're doing well." She smiled as she gave praise, looking down at her own feet to ensure that she was moving correctly. "Who would've thought we'd end up like this? But in a whole different place?.."

| brody christopher dubois |

dress reference minus the flower and the polka dots

[brody christopher dubois]

December 24, 2025

Okay, so his "posh" British accent might have needed some work, but Brody knew that that wasn't the point. He had gotten Yvonne to laugh at his attempt at sounding fancy, and he had to pride himself a little bit on having done that much. He also wasn't doing as terribly as he'd thought when it came to the whole dancing thing, which was arguably of greater importance than the accuracy of the accent he'd tried to affect.

"Who would've thought we'd end up like this?" Yvonne asked him. Brody knew that she didn't mean their dancing skills there and the fact that neither of them had stepped on the other's feet yet. "But in a whole different place?"

Brody, still conscious of his footwork, shook his head. "No," he answered Yvonne honestly. Only in his dreams had he pictured something like that. "After your parents died," he admitted quietly, "I, uh, thought I would never see you again. But, uh, here we are, so…"

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

━ callin' it quits now, baby, i'm a wreck━

WHILE IT HAD TAKEN YVONNE a while to simply warm up to her surroundings and even all the people she met so long ago, once again...She believed she was in a slightly better place now compared to before. Sure, she still simply despised her grandmother and at times, Delilah's - an older student - words would reappear in her mind, implying that she should never have any relationships that weren't entirely beneficial for the De Snaijer. And for some time, the Slytherin agreed, especially when she was once again separated from her own twin sister and the only friends she had once arriving in Hogwarts.

Of course, leaving Ilvermorny and America wasn't by her own choice, but simply because the only other living De Snaijer was far from home. So as Brody spoke, admitting how after her parents died, he believed the two of them would never meet again, the brunette smiled small, letting out a quiet laugh. "You're such a dork.." She mumbled, when in reality, Yvonne's cheeks tinted a faint red and her moves became rather smooth, following Brody's lead instead of her own. "I would've written..And try to see you and everyone if I had the chance.."

| brody christopher dubois |

dress reference minus the flower and the polka dots

[brody christopher dubois]

December 24, 2025

Yvonne described him as a "dork" when he told her that he had thought that he would never see her again after her parents had died, though Brody didn't take offense to what she said. Although it was technically an insult, he knew not to take it as one; that was just how Yvonne spoke, even to him. She probably meant it as almost but not quite an insult—like it was supposed to be halfway offensive but not really, if that made sense. It made sense to Brody anyway. It was just a comment.

Brody wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing, but he was pretty certain that Yvonne was blushing. He didn't want to ruin the moment by bringing it up to her, though. They had finally gotten into the groove of how slow-dancing was supposed to work, and it felt good, like they actually knew what they were doing out on the floor… maybe.

"I would've written…" Yvonne told him. "And try to see you and everyone if I had the chance," she added.

The key word there was "if", and that was what had scared Brody the most. If she came back to Ilvermorny to visit, if she had the time to visit and if her grandmother even let her. It didn't really matter anymore because they were both at Hogwarts along with a sizable percentage of the Ilvermorny student body, but Brody did think about what a close call it could have been.

"Yeah," Brody agreed with Yvonne, trying to keep from getting distracted as they danced with each other. "Of course. It would've been… weird, though, you know? Being on totally different continents and everything."

yvonne rae de snaijer