Welcome

[Hilary Lockhart]

An empty corridor on the second floor is not where you usually found Hilary Annabelle Lockhart on a Thursday afternoon. Since Hilary's Thursday classes were in the mornings, with free periods afterwards, she could usually be found in the Hufflepuff Common Room, her dorm, or the sixth or seventh year girls dorms, working on homework or hanging out with her friends. Why, you might ask, was Hilary here? The answer is simple - she needed a little peace and quiet. Even Hufflepuff's bubbliest girl needed a little quiet sometimes.

Hilary wasn't bored, though. A Muggle friend of Hilary's had sent her a historical Muggle romance novel - just the sort of thing Hilary loved to read, but kept secret from her friends. If anyone - that means anyone - knew abotu Hilary's love for the books, it'd spread around the castle like wildfire. This particular books was a Tudor romance, and a very old book. It was published about thirteen years ago! The book was called The Other Boelyn Girl. Hilary liked it a lot, but it was a very complex book.

Hilary put down her book for a moment, next to where she was sitting against the wall. She stretched her short legs out underneath the uniform skirt. I need to stretch out, Hilary idly thought. Thought not much of a dancer, acrobat, or gymnast, Hilary liked to stretch out like they did. It helped her keep in shape. Though, she hadn't stretched out today. Hilary reached into her robe pocket, and pulled out her wand.

With a flick of Hilary's wand, she started music out of nowhere. She spread her legs into a V, and began to stretch to the music. It felt good to her to stretch. Stretching helped clear Hilary's mind, and keep her body in shape. Hilary didn't even think of being interrupted as she sat there, twisting herself into odd positions as she began to stretch out.

[Benjamin Weasley]

Walking is a great thing to do when you have nothing else to do. Not only was it good for him physically (especially for someone who disliked anything that had the word "exercise" attached to it), but it was one of those things that helped you get peace of mind. As he walked around the castle in a slow pace, hands in his pockets casually, Benjamin liked to think about Quidditch - like any normal boy - or focus on one of his classes - like any abnormal boy. Those were more calming things.

If he thought about anything else, the walking experience wouldn't be so pleasant. Benjamin didn't like to think about his family's situation all that much; it made him uneasy, sad, and stressed out. If only he could fix what had gone terribly wrong! But no, he'd been left stranded in the middle of the tear, alone and helpless, as both sides looked at him with greedy faces; they were tearing him in two, and he didn't know what to do.

Go with the Potters - his friends and most of his family? But then he'd be condemning Maurice and other family members like him; he'd be separating himself from them, and he didn't like that idea. Benjamin hated the thought of shunning someone just because they were loyal to a different family. And yet, despite these thoughts, he was shunned day by day, simply because his last name was Weasley, he was a Gryffindor, and he assosciated himself as Potter Loyalist. He tried to reach out to Malfoy Loyalists, but they either glared at him, walked away, hated him, or thought he was a double agent. Merlin, he'd never be a believable double agent for the Potters anyways - not that he'd ever think about being one.

Oh, great -- here he was, thinking about his family situation. Benjamin shook his head at himself and kicked at an imaginary rock, scuffing his shoe on the stone ground. Gotta think about something better - nicer - calming. His mind drifted off to his friends, one shining girl in particular. It was ironic, considering she turned out to be right in front of him on the ground when he rounded the corner.

Benjamin froze and ogled Hilary Lockhart for a moment. Music was playing from who knows where and she was...stretching? Randomly in this corridor, she was twisting and turning everywhere. Well, you see something new every day, don't you?

"So, I'm curious," Benjamin said loudly, announcing his arrival. He leaned against the wall casually, folding his arms across his chest, and gave her a joking smirk. "I didn't know there was curse like the Jelly-Leg Curse that worked for your entire body."

[Hilary Lockhart]

"So, I'm curious. I didn't know there was curse like the Jelly-Leg Curse that worked for your entire body."

Hilary froze as she was in a center split, the music still playing. It had become a very old Muggle song, "In The Mood" by the Glen Miller Orchestra. I know that voice.... Oh bloody hell. Hilary closed her eyes for a moment, opened them again, and turned around, folding up her legs and smiling. "Well hello there."

Hilary laughed warmly. "I don't believe there is, but....." she winked, "I don't know everything. I was only stretching out. You know, like in dance or gymnastics? Ring any bells?" Hilary giggled. "It helps me clear my mind. Plus, it keeps me in shape!" The blonde girl grinned, but then frowned. It's cold. With a flick of Hilary's wand, the corridor, empty but for Benjamin and Hilary, became warmer than it was. "Sorry. I was cold."

Hilary stood, and noticed that the music was still playing. "Do you mind the music, Benji? I can turn it off, but I like it." She giggled. "It makes me want to dance!" Hilary began to swing dance with an imaginary partner, but soon stopped. "It's not as much fun alone." Maybe Benji will get the hint...... Does he even know how to swing dance? I doubt it. It's been around for 50 or 60 years....

[Benjamin Weasley]

"Well hello there."

Benjamin winked at her, almost teasingly. "Well, hello there yourself, darling." He'd always called her that because he liked to see the beam on her face afterwards; he knew just what to say and do to make her smile and giggle.

"I don't believe there is, but..... I don't know everything. I was only stretching out. You know, like in dance or gymnastics? Ring any bells? It helps me clear my mind. Plus, it keeps me in shape!"

Silly girl. Did it ring any bells? Well, maybe, but those words had to do with the dreaded word "exercise", didn't they? That meant he stayed fairly clear of it. Although he wasn't lazy by far, the closest thing he got to exercise was Quidditch and walking through the castle. It wasn't like he was going to stretch in Potions class before walking up the stairs for Transfiguration. Actually, that would be funny, now that he thought about it...

Where was he? Right - Hilary Lockhart, sitting in front of him on the ground, looking as cute as can be. Didn't she always though? It was like a permanent look smacked on her, but it wasn't like he was complaining about it - no boy with brains the size of a pea would, and he was thankful to say that he had more brains than that.

"Yeah, I think I've heard of the word 'dance' before, but I can't be for sure," Benjamin joked, grinning at her even more. He'd heard the word "dance" a lot, actually; Merlin, his mother had been so obsessed with it since dancing with his father at their wedding. He'd learned to dance for her, so she thought that her sons and daughter should learn to dance. And what do you know -- who got stuck with being the natural? That's right -- as if he could feel even more awkward in his family, he could bloody dance.

And then the place immediately became warm. Benjamin looked around the place because of the sudden transition; he'd been a little cold himself, actually. When he finally glanced back towards Hilary, who said, "Sorry. I was cold."

"No problem," Benjamin said, shrugging his shoulders. "I thought it was chilly anyways; these robes are definitely too thin for this kind of castle air."

"Do you mind the music, Benji? I can turn it off, but I like it. It makes me want to dance!"

"Then dance!" Benjamin clapped and laughed as Hilary began to dance, acting as if she had a partner with her. He felt the urge to go out there with her - as a joke, of course - but something kept him from moving, instead keeping him at his spot against the wall. Wasn't it embarrassment because he could actually dance and she didn't know that yet? Or was it because he was actually feeling...shy for once?

"It's not as much fun alone."

Without even thinking, Benjamin stepped out towards her and took one of her small hands in his; it wasn't that much bigger, considering that he wasn't very big either, for a sixteen year-old boy. "Well, I'm here to please, madam; I could never leave you out here alone for so long!" He spun her around slowly, grinning at her almost shyly as he did so. "Dance away then; dance away."

Hey, he was in Gryffindor for something, right? Yeah, that was his late reaction bravery kicking in now. Neat.

[Hilary Lockhart]

"Well, hello there yourself, darling."

Hilary giggled and blushed. She did that every time he called her darling, predictably. It was just so sweet! Not many boys had the courage to call a girl a pet name, let alone call her that repeatedly. Usually only Gryffindor boys had the courage. Thingking of this, Hilary suddenly felt glad to be friends with so many Gryffindor boys.

"Yeah, I think I've heard of the word 'dance' before, but I can't be for sure."

Hilary giggled and wrinkled her nose. "Silly." Boys just don't like dance, often! Well, their loss. Girls often like boys who can dance better than boys who can't.

"No problem. I thought it was chilly anyways; these robes are definitely too thin for this kind of castle air."

"Oh yes, I know!" Hilary pulled her robes around herself more tightly. "They're such thin cotton. I honestly prefer Muggle clothes. They're SO much warmer, and they're really cute and comfortable! Well....." she reconsidered, "Most are, anyway."

"Then dance!"

Hilary giggled and swing danced with an imaginary partner. She did everything in her routine: spins, barrel rolls, jumps, everything except the toe touch, which she couldn't do alone. Hilary could feel Benji's eyes upon her as she leaped, but she stopped. That's fun, but not as much fun alone.

"Well, I'm here to please, madam; I could never leave you out here alone for so long! Dance away then; dance away."

Hilary struggled not to let out a gasp as Benji took her hand, then slowly spun her around. He can DANCE, too? Hilary noticed that the music had changed to something much slower, that she recognized. It was "Moon River" as performed by Frank Sinatra, a waltz. She grinned up at the boy. "Can you waltz?"

[Benjamin Weasley]

(OoC: You obviously know about dancing, so you're gonna have to lead this thread. Benny can dance; I can't. XD)

"Oh yes, I know! They're such thin cotton. I honestly prefer Muggle clothes. They're SO much warmer, and they're really cute and comfortable! Well.....Most are, anyway."

Benjamin shrugged his shoulders. "Jeans and a shirt is all I need to survive, but robes are too bad either, if you get the right kind; it's just the material that you need to watch out for." Of course, being a girl and all, she probably already knew that; most girls liked shopping and knew more about fashion than he knew the back of his hand. Hilary, being a very pretty girl, was bound to more than a thing or two about clothing material.

Duh, Weasley, you've got to remember these things so you don't look like an idiot, which you just did! his conscience reprimanded him irritably. It made him want to roll his eyes, but he refrained from doing that; Hilary might think he was rolling his eyes at her, which he definitely wasn't.

Honestly, his conscience had to be the rudest conscience in the world; it mentally abused him -- about the only type of abuse it could incur, but you know, it still wasn't nice to beat himself up. In fact, the more time he spent around girls, the more his conscience seemed to dislike him. Was he that bad in the romance department or did his conscience just not like the girls he seemed to be attracted to? Merlin!

"Can you waltz?"

"Well, let's give it a try and see," Benjamin told her mischeivously, a smirk on his face. Trying his hardest not to blush, he lightly put his hand on her hip and twirled her around again -- and that was when he started waltzing with this tiny girl in his arms. Didn't he read this out of some cheesy romance novel? Oh, wait; he didn't read those. Of course not. Action thrillers all the way! Right.

The music sounded very familiar and quite Muggle. His mother loved listening to Muggle music and his father the WWR, so he'd become pretty adept at distinguishing between the two. This song had an older, classier feel to it, something that he'd always been fond of; it was his mom's favorite type of music, and he'd grown to like it, too. Was it...? Yeah, it was Sinatra, right? Fred... No, Frank Sinatra, that was it. He didn't know the title of the song, but that didn't matter because he knew the words.

Benjamin opened his eyes to look back at Hilary as they swayed around in the corridor together. "Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way," he sang, sounding nothing like Sinatra. He grinned almost shyly at her and ducked his head to glance at his feet to make sure he was going correctly. It had been a while, and he was probably more than a little rusty at this dancing thing.