And I Pity Any Girl Who Isn't Me Today (Dastan)

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Rather than trekking out to the Beauxbatons Carriage in the cold, Gwendolen had arranged to meet Dastan inside the castle. Like most of the rest of the couples—the students, at least—they had chosen to pair up just outside the doors to the Great Hall, which had sounded like a good idea at the time. That way, they could simply walk into the ball together. The idea was such a good one, in fact, that Gwen had to weave her way in and out of so many others who were attempting to do the exact same thing, heels and all.

“Sorry,” she asked another student, “but have you seen—” Feeling so compelled, Gwen turned her head instead of finishing her thought. There, looking as handsome as she had ever seen him, was her date.

“Dastan!”

As she raced towards him, Gwendolen hoped that Dastan would think that she looked nice. What she was wearing was a dress rather than “dress robes”, since she didn't know of anywhere to find such a thing in Rhyl—a red halter dress with a slight floral print that was floor length in the back but hit just above her knees in the front. Her hair was pulled into a tight, sleek high ponytail at the back of her head, which showed off the makeup that she had applied. Gwen had played up her already large eyes with a set of false eyelashes, and her lips were just as red as the fabric of her dress.

Reaching him, she smiled broadly and gave a playful curtsy. “Bonsoir, monsieur.”

@dastan

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Dastan was standing in the entrance to the Great Hall, looking for Gwen. Honestly, he didn't expect the area to be as busy as it was, or he definitely would have suggested them meet in a different place. Oh well. He'd just have to find her here. Or maybe she'd find him. As he was looking through the crowd, hoping to see her somewhere, he heard her voice calling his name, coming from somewhere to his right.

An instant later, he turned his head and grinned, unable to help himself. She looked amazing in her red dress and Dastan couldn't take his eyes off of her. He looked to the left and right, wanting to be sure that there weren't too many guys focused on her. Sure, they weren't dating, but Dastan already knew that he wanted to be and he had no intention of letting someone else step in.

When she got to him, she curtsied and greeted him in his native language. "Bonsoir," he repeated back with a grin. He was impressed that she'd studied at least enough French to be able to say that to him. "So are you ready to have the best night ever?" he asked as he led her toward the great hall, reaching for her hand. He thought about being a gentleman and offering her his arm, but he would do that later. Right now, he just wanted to feel her fingers entwine with his own.

Once they reached the Ballroom, Dastan led her over to an area that wasn't as crowded, taking a deep breath once they weren't entirely surrounded by others. It was nice to have a little space. "Do you want to watch the first dance?" he asked curiously. Honestly, he didn't care. Interestingly enough, there were three Beauxbatons' students that would be dancing in it, but he didn't care. Not unless she did, of course.

@gwendolen

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Dastan greeted her with a “Bonsoir” in return and asked her if she was “ready to have the best night ever”—his words and not hers, though Gwen thought that they could have just as easily come from her own mouth. He reached for her hand, and she took his gently in hers. She hoped that she wasn’t blushing or had put enough makeup on to keep it from being apparent to him; however, Gwen couldn’t say that she was embarrassed at all. Dastan liked her for who she was, although he hadn’t seen at her most energetic. (If, for some odd reason, the music selection for the night included anything from a Muggle musical, that would change.)

“Only if you are,” she smiled, her eyes shining as they entered the Great Hall. It had been extended, clearly; there was no way that it was so large on a daily basis. It looked absolutely beautiful, and Gwendolen felt as though she had entered a fairytale, like Cinderella at the ball.

Once they were out of the initial crowd, Dastan asked if she wanted to watch the Champions perform their waltz. It was supposed to be a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament, though the only person Gwen would have cared to watch was Anna Weasley. She shrugged her shoulders and looked as people were already beginning to congregate around the dance floor; they had just made it away from the crowd, so there was no point in rushing back into it. They had all night for that. “Do you?” she asked Dastan, deciding that she would leave it up to him. There would be plenty of time for them to dance together, too. “Or should we get something to drink?”

@dastan

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She looked so delighted that light seemed to radiate from Gwen. Once again, Dastan was glad he'd asked her to the Ball. At the time he couldn't believe he'd done so and was nervous because he didn't know her at all, but this was definitely worth it. She was happy, and that was all he wanted. "Of course I am," he told her with a grin. He'd been ready for this since the moment he asked her do the Ball. As he looked around himself, Dastan was impressed by what they did to the Great Hall. It looked fabulous and he couldn't believe it was the same room he ate lunch in only a few hours ago. This must have taken a lot of effort. 

He expected her to want to watch the couples dance, but Gwen didn't seem to really care what the others were doing, which was both surprising and impressive to Dastan. Apparently this was a night full of the unexpected. Not that he minded, he just wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. He shrugged when she asked if he wanted to watch the dance. He didn't really care about watching the Champions and their dates dance, even though there was a lot of Beauxbatons representation there. "I'd rather get something to drink, if you don't mind," Dastan told her honestly, waiting for her response. Of course, he would do whatever she wanted, but he just wanted the opportunity to talk to her and get to know her more, even if it was just a little bit. 

@gwendolen

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Dastan was ready, and so was she. There wasn't a doubt in Gwendolen's mind that they would be having the time of their lives. Just because they probably weren't planning to watch the Champions waltz around for a song or two didn't mean that they were ruining their night so soon. Really, Gwen's thoughts were to the contrary: While everyone else was focused on the Champions, she could focus on Dastan.

“I'd rather get something to drink, if you don't mind,” Dastan replied to her, and so it was decided.

“Great!” Gwen nodded back to him, looking for the quickest route to where the drinks were. She wasn't yet seventeen—crossing the Age Line for alcohol was out of the question—but they would be able to find something. Spying an opening, she thought about pulling Dastan in that direction but held back. “We should probably go over there,” she said, “before we're trapped here.” It wouldn't be for all eternity, but it Gwen knew that it would be a hassle.

@dastan

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She seemed to like the idea of them getting a drink, which was good. The Ball just started, but it was already beginning to get hot in the Great Hall. Probably something about so many people being inside. She was looking around the room- probably for somewhere where they could get drinks- and Dastan just watched her for a moment, taking advantage of her wandering attention. She was so beautiful. He could hardly believe that she didn't have a boyfriend; that she actually said yes when he asked her to come with him to the Ball. If someone would have told him during the summer that he'd be taking a Hogwarts girl to the Yule Ball he probably would have scoffed at them. But Gwen ... there was something about her that drew his attention instantly and he was glad he asked her and that she said yes.

She stopped looking around the room and it seemed she'd found an acceptable place for a drink. She suggested that they leave before they got trapped and Dastan grinned at her. "Even if we were surrounded, we wouldn't be trapped," he told her confidently. Dastan was quite adept at moving through busy, thick crowds and he wouldn't have allowed her to get stuck in one. At least not while they were on a date. Still, the crowd was getting thicker and he didn't want to loose her in it, so Dastan reached forward and gently took her hand in his own, looking at her face quickly and hoping she wouldn't mind. After all, why should she? They'd be holding hands when they danced soon enough. With a small nod at her, he started moving through the crowd, weaving with confidence until they came up to an innocent-looking table. It didn't have an age line- he checked- so he had no scruples about bringing Gwen here. "What do you want to drink?" he asked her, looking at the table. She could probably get her own drink and if she wanted to he would definitely let her, but he was trying to be a gentleman here. His mother would be so proud.

@gwendolen

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“Even if we were surrounded, we wouldn't be trapped,” Dastan noted, and Gwen held back a giggle as she took his hand. More people seemed to be entering the Great Hall by the minute, and she couldn't say no to holding Dastan's hand again.

He nodded at her to signal that he was going to get them safely to the drinks, and she followed him to a table. Fortunately, because a good number of the students at the ball weren't old enough to be ordering alcohol, they hadn't put Age Lines around the tables.

Gwen shrugged her shoulders when Dastan asked what she wanted to drink. “Anything's fine. Maybe butterbeer?” Whatever they had, she wasn't too picky; it wasn't as if the drinks wouldn't be vegetarian.

@dastan

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She was so sweet and Dastan loved it. Just looking at Gwen was enough to put a smile on her face, but the fact that she seemed willing to agree with anything he suggested was nice too. Dastan wasn't particularly one for big crowds, so the chance to slip out a little bit and drink was just fine. 

He nodded when she said she would like some butterbeer. "I'll be right back," he told her with a smile, heading over to the bar and asking for two. It only took a second and he was already on his way back to her, weaving through the crowd carefully. It was the beginning of the night and Dastan had no intention of spilling on himself or on anyone else. "So what do you think of all the decorations?" He asked as he sat down beside her and handed her one of the drinks.

After this, he felt like he was ready to dance. Normally, Dastan wasn't one for dancing, but the idea of holding her and dancing was one that he didn't want to pass up. He wanted to dance as much as he could tonight and hopefully he'd be able to get closer to Gwen in the process. If she didn't mind, of course.

@gwendolen

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Gwendolen waited as Dastan said that he would be right back. She couldn't help herself, but she watched him as he went over to the bar. Soon enough, he was back with two butterbeers. They must have timed things right.

“So what do you think of all the decorations?” he asked after he'd passed her her drink.

“They're beautiful,” she replied, glad that she had gotten the chance to be at the Yule Ball to see it for herself. “The Great Hall isn't usually this large,” she added, wondering if Dastan had noticed it. Since he hadn't been at Hogwarts for as long as she, she wasn't sure if he had ever paid attention to it.

Gwen took a sip of her butterbeer and giggled in embarrassment at the white foam that had lined her upper lip. She wiped it quickly with her hand and hoped that it hadn't caused her lipstick to smear. Looking back up, her eyes met Dastan's. “Sorry.”

@dastan

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Dastan looked around when Gwen said that the Hall wasn't always this big. He never would have realized that if she hadn't said something. "I did not realize that," he told her, admitting the truth. He wouldn't do that with just anyone, but Gwen was different. For one, she'd agreed to come to the dance with him. For another, he was starting to care about her.

He laughed when she apologized for getting white foam on her lip. "What is there to apologize for?" he asked with a roll of his eyes, taking a drink from his own and getting the same result. He wiped it off his lips and then smiled at her. "See, it happened to me too." He finished his drink and looked around the room, smiling as he saw all the people dancing. 

Turning back to Gwen, Dastan extended his hand. "I'm ready to dance now, if you are," he made the comment a question, but waited for her response. He wouldn't force her into anything.

@gwendolen

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When Dastan said that he hadn't realized the difference in size between the Great Hall on an ordinary day and the Great Hall as the Yule Ball venue, Gwen nodded. “Yeah,” she said. She couldn't tell by how much, exactly, it had been enlarged, but it was definitely bigger now.

He questioned why she would apologize to him, and Gwen wondered if she had made a cross-cultural error. It wasn't uncommon, in her experience, to hear people apologize for even minute details. She didn't want Dastan to think that she had done something that was seriously wrong!

She was able to breathe a sigh of relief, however, when Dastan ended up with the same foam mustache and shrugged it off. “See,” he encouraged her; it had happened to him, too. As Dastan looked around the Great Hall, then, so did she, laughing at herself for having been so worried over something so small as a butterbeer mustache.

Then, Dastan extended his hand to her. “I'm ready to dance now, if you are.”

Again, Gwendolen put her hand in his. She pretended to think on the decision, but it was too challenging for her to keep a straight face. “Oui,” she smiled affirmatively, standing. Could the night get any more perfect?

@dastan

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It was interesting how uncomfortable Gwen seemed to feel around him. Dastan didn't want her to feel that way, but he also didn't know how to stop her from feeling it. So he felt extremely relieved when she agreed to dance with him. Maybe that would make her feel less self-conscious? Dastan smiled at her as she spoke french and he pulled her onto the dance floor, holding her maybe a little closer than was proper, but it was a slow song and he wanted to make sure her attention was focused on him. "So you know French?" he asked, a clear smile on his face. Really, he wouldn't mind if she didn't, but it just seemed like everything she did was designed to make him feel more attracted to her.

@gwendolen

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“So you know French?”

“Not really,” Gwen blushed, realizing into what a tight corner she had nearly backed herself. What if Dastan had believed that she was capable of actually carrying on a conversation? “I'm Welsh, so I took English and Welsh in primary school. We're supposed to take it until—well, about now—but…” Her magical education had gotten in the way of that. When she realized that she was rambling on in the middle of a slow song, she followed the advice of the little voice in her head that kept telling her to shut up before Dastan lost interest in her.

She smiled back at him. Ruining the moment between them would make the night into a nightmare, and Gwendolen was fairly sure that she had already passed the point of trying too hard. She wanted Dastan to like her. He was so handsome and such a gentleman, and she still wanted to pinch herself every time she thought about how he had taken an interest in her.

If nothing else, wanting to become an actress had also prepared her to dance. Gwen knew her right foot from her left one without having to stare at the placement of her feet, though she glanced down just to make sure that she wouldn't accidentally dig her heel into Dastan's toe somehow.

“Are there many balls like this at Beauxbatons?” she asked when she had made eye contact with Dastan again, tightening up her frame against his so that the two of them might look more poised.

@dastan

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Dastan laughed when she said she didn't know French. "Well, you spoke very well just now," he complimented, listening with interest as she explained how she knew a little.

At her question, Dastan shook his head, "No, we do not have many balls. But we do know how to have a good time and dance," he told her with a smile.

He spent the rest of the night dancing with her and enjoying the chance to get to know her better. (End)

@gwendolen