Scarecrow (Matthew/OPEN)

Ari was getting ready. She never imagined that she would be getting ready to go to a BALL like the one they had in FROZEN, or CINDERELLA. And better yet, she didn't imagine she would be going with MATTHEW. She really was living in a Disney movie at that moment, and it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Ari looked in the mirror at her reflection. She had looked and looked, and found the perfect dress. She would wear green obviously, because of Princess Anna, though she would wear it more maturely. She had a dress that went about to her knees, it was modest looking, but showed off her features in the best way.

She put on some pearls to complete her look that Aunt Evelyn had given her. She put on her black ballet flats, and looked at her overly curly hair. It had the perfect effect that she was trying to give. She put a permanent spell on it that lasted 24 hours so it wouldn't fall out. She put on her mask. It was black with green speckles on it that matched the exact color of her dress. She stood up and looked at her reflection again. Matthew had better appreciate all the hard work she put into her outfit. She did it just for him since he had wanted to go so bad. And why with her? She didn't know.

Ari still didn't know why Matthew had asked her and had been nervous in the process. But it gave her butterflies, and she wouldn't want to spend the night with anybody else. Ari was suddenly nervous. What if he didn't like the way she looked? What if he called her ugly and ran away? She would be done with him if he did that. Best friends or not. No friend should call another friend ugly. Ari took a deep breath, and started walking down the stairs. This was it.

Balls were so stupid. Really anything that required Matthew to wear a suit was stupid, and he didn't see why it was necessary. His mum had sent it to him last week, and he'd thrown it on a spare bed and ignored it as best he could until now. Not even bothering to button his suit jacket, he headed downstairs to wait for Ari, who would probably take another twenty minutes to show up anyway so he wasn't sure why he bothered. Matthew had on a green button down shirt beneath his jacket, because Ari said she was wearing green and Ollie said they had to match, which Matthew didn't like because then everyone would know that they were going together without even having to ask. He also didn't like it because he'd much rather wear something fire colored, but he was pretty sure asking Ari to change the color of her dress was something similar to suicide and not at all worth it. Ari could be pretty lethal, when she wanted to be, and this wasn't something worth risking death over.

Sooner than he thought, he heard footsteps on the stairs, and all of the things he'd been trying not to think popped into his head. Like what he was even doing here in the first place. Why he'd asked Ari to go with him. Why he was so excited and even nervous for the evening, when he really shouldn't be excited at all. He should be dreading it. Which he was, in an excited sort of way and - and then he turned toward the stairs, and Ari came into view, and Matthew's eyebrows raised in surprise. And for a minute, he just stared at her while she finished descending the stairs, because - well, because even Matthew couldn't deny that she looked beyond pretty. "About time," he finally managed to sputter out when she reached him, trying to ignore how much more nervous he felt now that she was right there. "I, um - I don't think I've ever seen you wear a dress before," he said, because he wasn't really sure what else to say.

"I hope I don't have to wear this coat all night," Matthew said, searching for anything he could to change the subject. But even changing the subject wasn't helping because all of his effort was going in trying not to stare at Ari, but it really wasn't that easy. And he realized right then that this was going to be a long night, if he spent the whole thing trying to get his thoughts in order. Maybe it would be easier if he stopped worrying about it - about all of this shit with Ari that he didn't understand - just for one night. Because if not, he was pretty sure he might take a premature heart attack from all the stress of it. So, taking a deep breath, Matthew just went ahead and said what he was thinking so that it wasn't on his mind for the rest of the night. "You - um... You look really pretty."

Pretty. He had called her pretty! Her eyes lit up a little bit more, knowing that all her effort to impress Matthew hadn't gone down the drain. Then she stopped herself. Had her efforts really been to impress Matthew? She loved getting dressed up on the rare occasions that she had too, like for her parents relater parties, but then she did it for herself. To make herself feel like a princess when she had been feeling down, because her parents had forgotten her birthday. It had only been one time, but it still hurt to think that they would forget her OWN BIRTHDAY. Maybe it was for Matthew. She had admitted to herself already that she liked him as more than a friend. So why wouldn't she not dress up for him? Maybe this would trigger him into liking her too! That was the goal by the time she got out of Hogwarts.

She replied, "You don't look so bad yourself, Bennett." Ari facepalmed herself mentally. She had NEVER called him by his last name. EVER. Maybe it was her nerves that did it. Maybe... She had just made a complete fool out of herself. Maybe she should just call it a night and go hide in her dorm and never come out. But, she knew it was too late. And Matthew might be disappointed if she just quit on him. So, she said, "I mean, Your shirt is the perfect shade of green! Good job! Now we match!" Like a legit couple would at a dance. That made Ari blush a little bit, and she didn't know why. She couldn't exactly hide in her hair because it was frozen in place on her head in the massive amount of curls. She asked, "Shall we walk down now?" She didn't even wait for a reply, and started walking.

With her luck, he started following her. Now she had to keep up a conversation and not make things even more awkward than they already were. She breathed a little heavier than she should have, and hoped he didn't hear it. She asked, "So did ummm Ollie ask that Veronica girl?" She looked at him. She knew it wasn't his favorite subject to talk about, but she couldn't think of anything else. She hated to admit though that she liked the Matthew who didn't talk to his brother very much. Even though he was miserable, it just made him pay more attention to Ari, and she wasn't so miserable either. But at the same time, she cared enough for him and wanted Matthew to be happy. And she knew Ollie was the key to that.

They finally made it to the Great Hall were the ball was held. And it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. They weren't the first ones there, thankfully. Ari didn't like being the first ones there because that would be awkward. There were already several teachers there, and a few students. None of which Ari knew. She was suddenly the most nervous she had ever felt. Here she was, at the closest thing she would ever get to being a Princess at a ball, and she didn't know what to do. She looked at Matthew and asked, "Uh... What now?" With him being the only person that she knew, and she was way to nervous to talk to him like she normally did, she kind of froze in place. Well this was new... Ari thought. And it was going to be a long night.

Complimenting Ari – especially the way she looked – wasn’t really something that came natural to Matthew. The first time, it had happened by accident and he’d wished desperately that he could take it back. But this time… this time was different. Because he’d actually wanted to say it. Because he’d been thinking it for weeks. And because the way Ari’s face lit up in response to the compliment made the awkwardness of actually voicing it worth it. Not to mention, her smile was pretty contagious, and he found himself smiling back at her.  Ari’s response came so quickly, and so easily, that Matthew just grinned naturally in reply and didn’t realize that it was unusual until she’d already started going on about his shirt. And by then, it would only be awkward to go back and address it, so he just went along with what she was saying. And it really hadn’t felt awkward, anyway. ”That’s lucky, because it’s the only green I had,” Matthew replied.

What was possibly the most surprising thing wasn’t Matthew’s confusion, or the fact that he was having a hard time not staring at Ari, but the fact that she seemed just as unsure of how to continue as him after she stopped talking. He could see it in her face. And for some reason, knowing that he wasn’t the only one made it a hell of a lot easier to relax. It’s just Ari, he reminded himself. Ari in a dress. ”Yeah, I guess we should,” Matthew replied, but had to jog a few steps to catch up to her because she hadn’t exactly waited for him. ”I still think a real Halloween party would have been better,” he said, actually starting to feel more comfortable now  that he was actually with Ari. He was going to the dance with her whether he liked it or not now – he may as well try to enjoy it. ”I mean, it’s Halloween," he exaggerated.

He shook his head in response to her question. ”No, actually – or, I mean, yes,” Matthew said, talking more or less easily. ”He did ask her, but she was busy I guess. So he’s bringing some girl from his house.” Matthew actually hadn’t told Ollie that he was going at all, let alone taking Ari with him. He could only imagine what his brother would say – Ollie had already spent most of the summer teasing him about Ari when Matthew was still sure he wasn’t able to stand her. If Ollie knew he’d asked her to the ball – Matthew was pretty sure he’d never hear the end of it, and that wasn’t something he wanted to risk.

It didn’t take them long to arrive, since the great hall was only a short walk from the dungeons, and Matthew looked around in amazement as they entered the hall. Sure, students had thrown parties before, but this was the first Professor hosted event that Matthew had ever been to, and the teachers had really outdone themselves. He was actually so busy looking at the spiderwebs hanging from the ceiling that he only turned back to Ari when she spoke up from beside him. He turned to look at her, mostly because he’d honestly never heard her sound so nervous before. And one look at her face let Matthew know that she’d suddenly realized that she was out of her comfort zone. And so was Matthew – but he was instantly reminded that it wasn’t his place to act like it. Wasn’t this how they always were? Ari freaked out and blew things out of proportion and stressed, and Matthew calmed her down. Although he was still just as confused about how they’d gotten here as ever, his reassuring smile came, for the most part, naturally.

He wasn’t sure what spurred him to do it, but before he knew it he was reaching for her hand. ”Easy,” he said, for once not pushing away the strange feeling when his fingers interlocked with hers. ”We eat,” he told her, grinning and pulling her over to the buffets that lined the sides of the hall.

He had grabbed her hand.... GRABBED HER HAND! Ari was sure to him it meant nothing, but for her, she instantly calmed down, and he mentioned food. So that part was good, and she didn't have to talk as much when there was food, so there was no point in starting a conversation then when her mouth was full of food. The teachers had outdone themselves for sure, and she was still marveling the beauty of the Great Hall, and even she felt slightly underdressed due to what the Professor's where wearing, and what the hell was Professor Leblanc wearing? She pointed to him and whispered to Matthew, "I don't think he got the hint that it wasn't a costume party." She laughed a little bit, but having been in class with him, she knew it was his nature to stand out and be weird, and she admired him for that. Though, if Matthew had done the same thing, and hadn't matched her, she would've probably smacked him.

Making their way over to the buffet table, she was glad to see that all of her favorites where there. Which was also good, because that gave them another topic of conversation. She stated, "Ohhh! Look! Pumpkin pasties! My favorite!" Ari grabbed not only one, but two of them. But she didn't grab the other one for Matthew, he had two hands and could get one himself. She took a giant bite out of one, and then realized she should probably get some napkins. She would probably cry if she got pumpkin all over her nice green dress, and Matthew would probably be pissed if she had to make him walk all the way back to the common room.

Ari didn't realize that they were still holding hands. It felt completely natural, like it was meant to happen. As she ate one of her pasties, she got the warm butterfly feeling in her stomach about it, and her heart started fluttering. Maybe tonight would be the night. She thought about how perfect it would be if it happened at the ball. She would really feel like Princess Anna when she found Hanz the night of Elsa's coronation. She knew they wouldn't go around singing "The First Time in Forever", but she would be singing it in her head. And that was all that mattered.

Bringing up food had been a good choice, being that Ari seemed to visibly relax now that they had a direction in mind. As they crossed the hall, she leaned over to whisper about the professors, and her voice sounded much more normal. Matthew turned to see what she was pointing at, and snorted in amusement. "I guess not," Matthew agreed, grinning as he looked over at the charms professor, who looked like he could topple over at any moment in his tree costume. "Though, I did just say it should've been a costume party - the guy has the right idea. But definitely the wrong costume," Matthew added, laughing. "The rest of the teachers seem a little confused by it, too," he pointed out, noticing how a few of the teachers seemed to be eyeing him in confusion or amusement - but none seemed to be cruel enough to crush the man's soul and tell him he shouldn't have dressed up.

Yes, food! "I'm seriously starving," Matthew said, his eyes wandering across the buffet table, not sure where to start. "If you wouldn't have taken so long to get ready, we could be on seconds by now you know," he said in a joking tone. Ari went for the pumpkin pasties, and Matthew wanted to go for a plate of roast beef, but suddenly realized that he'd probably need two hands to get that. And Ari was holding one. He contemplated just taking his hand back, but his grip on Ari's hand seemed to calm her a bit, so he opted for a slice of bacon and pepperoni pizza, which he could grab with one hand. He quickly took a bite off of the end to keep the cheese from falling, and then headed over toward a table. "This one?" Matthew asked, finally releasing her hand - and trying to ignore that he wished he didn't have to. "It's closest to the food." Which was a good enough explanation for him.

The hall was starting to fill, and Matthew grinned as a hoarde of bats swooped down over their heads. "Check the bats out," he said to Ari, pointing at them. Before long, there was music playing and people everywhere. The dance floor was filling up, and Matthew stared at it uncertainly, but didn't make any move toward it. He was actually a pretty good dancer, as long as the music was fast enough. Nobody at Hogwarts would know, but he was never found without his headphones at home. Either way, until Ari brought it up, he probably wouldn't. "Do you want a drink?" he asked instead, because he was at a bit of a loss for what to do, pushing his chair out. "I want a butterbeer. What do you want?" He turned to look around the hall, because he wasn't even sure where the drinks were at. "They better have butterbeer. Have you ever tried firewhiskey, by the way? We aren't old enough to order it, but I need to find a way to try it, since it's firewhiskey, you know?"

If she hadn't taken so long to get ready, she wouldn't be beautiful for him. Ari snapped, "It's not like the buffet is suddenly going to run out of food or anything." Ari laughed at him. Boys where funny when it came to food. Its not like the kitchen was properly well staffed with the house elves. Which she took time out of her day to go and visit them and wish them a happy Halloween and give them all candy. She was still pissed off at Professor Simpson, and would not go to his class again. But she wasn't going to think about classes anymore tonight. Even though the professor was standing next to Professor Gracen and she had every right in her mind to go and slap the living shits out of him, but she didn't want to take the chance and ruin this already awkward night.

The only thing that would make this night more awkward would be if Derek came over and sat next to them. But so far, Ari hadn't seen Derek. So far she guessed she was safe from his presence. Ari glared at him and said, "If you would've dressed in a costume I would've kicked you." And it was probably true. She would've refused to go if she was the only one with a date who dressed in an actual costume. Maybe if he consulted her first and they did something together, she MIGHT'VE let him wear a costume. But that would only be if they went as Princess Anna and Kristoff, and Ari knew he would've never gone with that. So costumless would've been his only option.

Ari wondered when she began to care about what he wore to the dance and why she was suddenly so over protective of him. It wasn't like some girl was going to come over and snatch him away. He was here with her. And then she worried about if somebody did come over and ask him to dance if he would leave her alone. Ari had issues with people leaving her and he knew that. But then when he had let go of her hand, it felt empty. But then she realized he needed it to eat, so she forgave him mentally. They got to a table and he started pointing at the bats. They were neat yes, and she found herself staring at them and wandering with her eyes not really paying attention to anything else.

Matthew started talking about drinks and fire whiskey. Ari said, "That stuff is gross, well, I've never had it obviously, but I've heard stories." She hadn't actually heard any stories, she just wanted Matthew to not try it until he was of age. Ari always almost sometimes followed the rules. Especially when it came to drinking. She hadn't even gone as far as to try the ice cream flavored stuff at the Ice Cream parlor. That was how scared of the stuff she was. And if she was scared to try it, Matthew should be too. Even though the likely hood of that being zero. She figured he would just like it because it had fire in the name. And that alone would drive him nuts.