#sotpstarter

Rose would like to have said that she broke down and wept like the protagonists in every romantic comedy that had ever been written. But, the truth is that Rose was not a typical girl, and emotional displays (apart from the ready temper that seemed a prerequisite for anyone bearing a Weasley surname) were really not her best skill. She tended to repress more than display when it came to the more genuine emotions.

And so, as she sat on her bench in a thankfully deserted corridor, she cried a little. She sniffled, she sighed, she got irrationally angry for a few seconds, and she got entirely hopeless for a few more.

But, mostly, at the end, she simply took the book that she had shrunk down into her evening bag out and made it proper-sized. It wouldn't do for her to be seen leaving Boxing Day so early, but she couldn't bring herself to return to the mob of people yet, either.

So, Rose Weasley ended up doing what she always did when she was distressed.

Louis had been abuzz with nervous energy for the entirety of the day. And although his parents had been slightly shocked, Fleur was indeed happy to help him and feed the hyperactivity. Louis had never been close to the Malfoy's in any sense, and so, Bill was rather apprehensive when Louis told him about his invitation. The young Gryffindor certainly didn't want to tell his father about the circumstances that had led up to his sudden closeness to the youngest Malfoy. And so, he simply made up some excuse that Rose and Al had invited him along. Which wasn't a total lie, seeing as how his cousins were there. 

Getting ready for the Gala wasn't a very arduous process for him. His complexion was always perfect and his hair simply fell into place as it was meant to. He could hardly imagine what it was like for other people, especially girls. Having to deal with tangles and whatnot. While he had relative ease with those elements of preparation, finding something to wear proved to be a challenge. He could have worn red, for his house colour, but that hardly seemed sensible. It wasn't a school function, and he had to assume that other than the younger crowd, many in attendance would be older Slytherin's. And while he knew that the Malfoy's - Scorpius at the very least - were accepting of his Gryffindor status, many others might not be. And he preferred to not call more attention to himself than he needed to. Which was true for any time he was out in public. One could never be sure who was a blood supremacist and who was not. 

Eventually, Louis had decided on wearing shades of blue. It complimented his eyes, apparently. Which had caused his mother to smother him in affection for a good few moments.