Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven)

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Dec 20, 2012 13:20:20 GMT -8

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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2012 13:20:20 GMT -8

Bryant adjusted his bowtie in the bathroom mirror, no matter how many times he had to wear his formal robes he still never felt quite right in them. He knew that he looked fine, after all he’d had them tailored by the finest tailor in all of Diagon Alley, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place. “Get it together Bryant, you can do this. This is part of your responsibility as Cup Champion; it’s just another dinner, you’ve got this.” He tried to give himself a pep talk, something he’d done countless times during the Wizard’s cup; he figured it’d worked so well back then it was a practice he might as well continue. He took a deep breath and snickered at himself slightly, ask him to fight a dragon or make his way through a maze of Devil’s snare and he was as cool as the other side of the pillow, but a formal dinner with all of the wizarding world’s biggest socialites? His legs were jello.

Bryant stepped out of the bathroom and gave the world a warm smile, it was as fake as could be; but he knew it was what was necessary to get through tonight. If he didn’t have a smile on his face he’d see his frowning face plastered all over the new daily prophet gossip section, probably saying something along the lines of him being upset and wanting to take the minister of magic’s position. Bryant continued to smile and checked the seating chart for his seat; ”Of course, head table.” He was always stuck at the head table; Minister Bagnold just loved talking about how Bryant had managed to out-think everyone and showed the most poise of any Champion he’d ever seen. Although, with the cup drawing closer he was finding that his new favorite topic was the upcoming cup, and what thought’s Bryant had on making it even more challenging.

Bryant crossed the expansive room, smiling and returning all of the greetings that people passed his way; he had originally loved the spotlight and loved all of the attention that had been showered down on him. But Bryant had recently started to realize that people weren’t necessarily excited about him, but simply excited to be seen with someone of his social status. He finally reached the head table and took his seat, quickly summoning the waiter over to fill his glass. He filled it half-way with a nice dark merlot, Bryant swished it slightly, inhaling the bouqet before taking a hefty sip. He knew the Minister would be along shortly and the more wine he could get into his system before that time the better.

Almost as if on cue, the trumpets sounded his arrival and every was instructed to please rise. As Bryant stood up, a fiery red color standing out of the crowd of typical blondes and brunettes; Bryant’s eyes were drawn to the color and in that instant, the world seemed to tune out. Standing there under the hair was the single most beautiful woman Bryant had ever laid eyes on, he couldn’t draw his eyes away from her, even as the rest of the crowd took their seats; leaving Bryant standing by himself for a moment before taking his seat. As soon as he took his seat his eyes began search out the woman with red hair.

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Dec 20, 2012 14:38:40 GMT -8

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Post by RAVEN LENNOX MONROE on Dec 20, 2012 14:38:40 GMT -8

Raven wasn’t nervous. That was one of her most fascinating traits; she never felt that pins and needles feeling in the pit of her stomach when it came to social events. She was lucky in that respect; especially since her job demanded that she go to as many as possible in order to obtain the ‘scoop’ for the Daily Prophet. Of course, her eerie sense of calm could have been attributed to the addictive substances that were swimming in her veins at this very moment, but that was a story for another day. Yawning slightly, she slid her fingertips over her floor-length light pink gown, feeling at the lace that surrounded her waist. She had opted for something a little more show stopping than normal; the entire back of the dress missing, exposing some of her tattoos from her...less wild days as a teenager. It wasn’t that she wanted everyone to notice her, it was just that she wanted the attention. Raven Monroe couldn’t help it. She was a who.re when it came to scrutiny. Her hair was done up in some elaborate half-up mess that she had gotten one of the women that she worked with to throw together. Makeup was dramatic, of course, to compliment the gown that had taken her ages to pick out of her extensive closet.

“Seriously, Rave. Can you hurry your shi.t up? Some of us actually have to use the toilet,”

[/b] Raven realized that she had been staring at herself with the same pouty-lipped expression that she now wore for the past ten minutes, no wonder women were practically pounding at the door to get in.

Sliding toward the door, she opened it slightly and eyed the woman, ”Password?”[/b] She asked, her voice slightly slurred with the combined effects of alcohol and a few of the narcotics that she had stollen from her mother’s cupboard before she left for the Ball.

“C’mon Monroe, it’s only seven and you’re already sloshed? Get your life together.”[/b] The girl growled as she pushed past Raven into the one person lavatory. Then she proceeded to shove her out of the room all together and slammed the door behind her. Raven turned around, fully poised to say something rude to her, but realized that the insults would be wasted. The girl wasn’t worth her time.

Straightening the top of her dress and pulling it up so that she wouldn’t expose herself, Raven turned the corner that lead back to the main room of the gala. Everyone was gathered around the entrance to the dining hall; waiting for the Minister to arrive. Only a few people had ventured inside to the actual table, few she recognized. Then again, they were rather far away. She squinted her eyes, but then a blaring sound of trumpets caught her off guard, ”Minister of Magic, Ms Millicent Bagnold.”[/b] Everyone around her started applauding and she smiled, knowing that her night was about to begin. She was to find out as much information about the new Minister as she could, which meant that she would have to schmooze whoever she could get her hands on.

Bagnold passed through the crowd and headed straight toward the table to the head where she took the seat near the middle. The table wasn’t very large, enough for the twenty or so important people to talk comfortably. There were other tables for the less important where Raven - without a doubt - had been placed.

”This won’t do.”[/b] She said, moving forward into the room and searching for her name on the decorative name tags. She found hers on the second to last table and picked it up as well as the glass of wine that was sitting there waiting for her. Slowly, she moved back to the main table and crossed to the seat that was next to the head. She looked at the name-tag that was there, ‘Mr. Victor Reginald, Sr. VP of Dungs Exploding Snap INC.’ She rolled her eyes and threw the name-tag to the ground, pushing it under the table with her foot. Then she slid her name tag into its place and then looked right. She found herself locking eyes with the man that sat at the head of the table right next to her, ”Do pretend you didn’t see that, Mr-”[/b] She paused to look at his name tag, ”Xavier.”[/b] With that, she sat down at the table, and offered him a smirk of interest. She knew his name...everyone knew his name. It was the Bryant Xavier, winner of the Cup all those years ago and current Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Dec 21, 2012 6:15:56 GMT -8

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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2012 6:15:56 GMT -8

Bryant smiled and kept eye contact with the girl as the Minister droned on about how flattered she was that everyone would come out and celebrate her birthday with her. Bryant gave his emotionless golf clap at the appropriate times, still keeping his eyes locked on the red-haired girl; he even kept his eyes trained on her when the Minister mentioned him by name. It wasn’t until dinner was being served that he noticed movement in the background around her and quickly glanced away, noticing two of the minister’s security staff making their way towards her. Bryant cocked his head confused, and then the pieces started to add up; He’d never seen this woman and yet she was sitting in one of the utmost front tables, which typically would be reserved for the VIPs. Bryant had met just about every single VIP the minister knew during his five years as Head of International Magical Cooperation, and he was absolutely certain that he’d never met this woman.

The Security staff Members began to speak with the woman and he could see that she was not about to freely give up her seat; which confirmed Bryant’s theory that it was not actually her seat. He stood up and politely excused himself from his seat at the head table, giving a quick apology to the Minister, promising to be right back at his seat and fill her in on all of his latest plans for the wizard’s cup. “Oh My! I’m going to hold you to that Bryant.” She giggled enthusiastically.

Bryant was a fast walker, he always had been, and he was especially good at weaving through crowds; something he credited to his time at Hogwarts and all of the pesky flocks of firsties. He reached the table in no time, but by this time one of the guards had his hand on the red-haired girls arm in an attempt to force her from her seat. The surrounding tables were starting to notice at this point and Bryant didn’t want to make a scene but he had to meet this woman and to him this seemed the absolute best way. He knew the two security members, he’d seen them around before obviously, “Excuse me Braxton, but If you wouldn’t mind; I’d prefer it if you please removed your hand from my date.” Bryant’s voice was curt, letting the staff members that he was serious. Everyone at the entire table, and some of the surrounding tables quickly looked over at Bryant, who’s eyes did not leave Braxton. “But this seat belongs to Mr. Reginald, and-“

“-and he’s not here is he?” Bryant cut off Braxton, an ever increasing edge growing in his voice. “Victor is in Africa, researching new brand of dragon venom for his newest line of exploding snaps. Therefore, I told Ms…” Bryant glanced over at the name tag so quickly that he was positive that no one else could have caught it, “Monroe, that she could sit here with the rest of my companions during dinner, before giving me the pleasure of a dance. Isn’t that correct?” Bryant looked over at Ms. Raven Monroe, hoping that she would be willing to go along with his story; otherwise he knew for a fact he would be ending up in the gossip column for lying to the security detail.

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Dec 21, 2012 22:20:05 GMT -8

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Post by RAVEN LENNOX MONROE on Dec 21, 2012 22:20:05 GMT -8

Raven pulled out her notepad, fully intent on writing down everything that Millicent said. The woman was a nut job if you asked her; she had no poise and class and - based on what she was seeing at this very moment (She surveyed the woman’s arm reaching out to tug on Mr. Xavier’s sleeve every so often) - she figured that the woman that called herself the Minister of Magic had quite the crush on the man that was seated at the head of the table. The woman said something partiuclarly gushing and Raven had to refrain from rolling her eyes, instead choosing to write it down on her note pad in a fury. ‘You’re not going to be able to read those later if you don’t slow down...’ The sane part of her brain reminded her. But the constant surge of excitement that she got from the drugs that she was on spurred her on to write more and more quickly. She realized Mr. Xavier was still staring at her part way through the first course, ”Do you mind?”

[/b] She growled raising both of her eyebrows at him, distracted only momentarily from the job that was at hand, ”Some of us have to pay the rent.”[/b] With that she turned back to the Minister and listened intently.

She didn’t even notice the men that had crept up behind her and put their hands nearly on her shoulders. It wasn’t until their fingers touched her bare skin that she freaked out. Almost immediately she realized that they were trying to pull her away, ”You don’t understand-”[/b] She argued as she looked back and forth between the men that had her, yanking her from her seat at the Minister’s table. She could feel all the eyes on her at this very moment, and it wasn’t in a flattering sense. For a moment, she wasn’t thinking about the drugs that were swimming in her system, she was thinking about the very fact that her entire job was going to be compromised if she lost her current seating arrangement, ”Get your bloody paws off of me!”[/b] She practically yelled as they attempted to drag her away from the table.

The man that she had been verbally accosting a few moments before seemed to come to her rescue, coming up with some elaborate story and insisting that she was indeed his date. Immediately she raised both of her eyebrows at him, confused, but then realized what he was trying to do, ”Yes Braxton,”[/b] she growled, her shoulder ripping out of his arm in a surge of power, ”I am Mr. Xavier’s date.”[/b] Her voice was rather proud as she said what she did, realizing that being the date of someone so powerful during these types of functions was a privilege that she had yet to experience. He said something about her giving him a dance and she smiled sweetly - well, as sweetly as she could manage - at the man who had practically just saved her skin, ”I suggest that you take your hands off of me, Mr. Security Man so that I can make good on my promise. Wouldn’t want to spoil the night of the previous Hogwarts Cup Champion now would we, hmm?”[/b] She said and the man released her arm without another word.

They all walked away slowly, seeming somehow disappointed that they hadn’t gotten the bust that they had been after. But Raven? Rave felt ecstatic. She had managed to get away with one of her best maneuvers yet and it was all thanks to the man that now stood in front of her. The man that she apparently owed a dance to, ”Alright, so you’ve saved the damsel in distress...Just another day’s work for the Wizard’s Cup Champion?”[/b] She breathed as she pushed a tendril of her red hair behind her ear. She hoped that the man would understand that she was only trying to joke with him.

”I don’t believe that we’ve been properly introduced,”[/b] Raven said, offering him a gentle smile, one that was extremely uncharacteristic of her, especially in her given state. She pushed her arm forward, offering him her fingertips, ”I’m Miss-”[/b] She emphasized her singular title, hoping that he would catch on to what she was putting out there for him, ”Raven Monroe. Resident writer for Raven’s Rantings of The Daily Prophet.”[/b][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Dec 24, 2012 7:04:53 GMT -8

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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2012 7:04:53 GMT -8

Bryant felt relief surge over him as Raven went along with his story and attempt at rescuing her, he looked at the two security staff members and politely reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of galleons and discretely handed them over to Braxton inside of a handshake, “No harm done, friend.” He gave a final polite nod, letting them know that they were dismissed and they shuffled away quickly. Bryant turned towards Raven with a smile, “And technically I’m the Current Cup Champion, seeing as no one else has won it since.”

“Bryant Xavier, Head of International Wizarding Cooperation” Bryant politely extended his hand and took Raven’s hand, lifting it up slightly as he bowed down and planted a soft kiss across her knuckles, “It’s most certainly a pleasure to meet you Miss Monroe.” Bryant emphasized the word in response, letting her know that he had picked up on her singular title. He smiled appropriately as she gave him her business title as well, “That’s the new gossip column, correct?” Bryant questioned politely, trying to show that he had in fact, read her column. Bryant made it a point to read the entire prophet each day, which wasn’t difficult considering that he, literally had a do-nothing job.

“Now, I should warn you; I don’t take to saving strangers often, so you should feel special.” Bryant joked softly with Raven, hoping to try to relieve some of the tension of the moment, “However, I am a man of my word, and Braxton is going to be watching us, so…” Bryant gulped nervously, he found it strange that he could go toe-to-toe with acromantula and he was golden; but if he had to ask a pretty girl for a dance he became a blubbering idiot, “would you care to dance?” Bryant turned slightly, and motioned towards the dance floor, still holding Raven’s hand in his own.

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Dec 24, 2012 21:45:22 GMT -8

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Post by RAVEN LENNOX MONROE on Dec 24, 2012 21:45:22 GMT -8

Raven was actually incredibly happy that the security detail had seemingly bought the story, even though she hadn’t missed the hand-off that had taken place between the Ministry man and Braxton. She smiled, just the same, knowing full-well that sometimes that was what it took. A little bribery and one could have anything in the world. She knew that better than anyone, after all, that had been how she had gotten quite a few of her scoops as of late. It was a wonder what a charming smile and a flirtatious wink could get someone in this world, ”That is a technicality. Mr. Xavier. You’ll soon be ousted from your title, though. Rumor has it the seven year mark is approaching.”

[/b] Raven mused as she ran her fingertips down her arm, trying to get the red marks to disappear from where the men had been holding so tightly on to her, ”But that’s not really a surprise, I mean, we all knew that someday you’d have to give it up, right?”[/b] She realized how incredibly rude she was being, but couldn’t seem to find the words to make herself stop. That was just the way that Raven was; she told it like it was...but she was pretty, so she normally got away with it.

Raven hadn’t expected him to actually kiss her hand, in fact, no one had done that since she had been back at Hogwarts. She almost felt herself blush at the thought and then decided that it was better to play it off as more casual, ”Head of International Wizarding Cooperation.”[/b] She repeated, her mind rattling off facts at rapid speed for but a moment, ”Wizard’s Cup champion five years ago, Head boy and-”[/b] She paused, tapping her lip, ”You graduated with some of the highest marks that Hogwarts had ever seen. I do my research, sweetheart. I have to.”[/b] She raised both of her eyebrows, he wasn’t the target audience for her column, but she was glad to see that it was extending past those for which she intended it, ”The new gossip column the began this year, I might add.”[/b] She was rather proud of her accomplishments, especially since she had been working her arse off since the time that she started her job. Honestly, this had been the first time that she had even thought about taking drugs again - let alone doing it in the bathroom of the minister’s birthday party - since she had started at the Prophet. She would call that a success in her eyes...

Private. That was one of the first things that she noted about Mr. Xavier. He seemed to be uncomfortable with the idea of having to step out of his comfort zone, something that baffled her. For a man that had won the Wizard’s Cup, she would have thought that he would be an open book to the fame that came along with the title. Raven laughed, ”I do feel special, trust me. It’s not every day that a seeming Prince Charming comes in to sweep me off of my feet right when I need him.”[/b] She joked back, reaching up and placing her free hand on the lapel of his jacket. That was something that she had picked up from her mother ages ago. The woman always said that it was the perfect way to let men know that you were interested without giving away too much, ”And I would love to dance. If only for the sake of our lie.”[/b] She winked at him and then took the lead, moving them to the center of the dance floor where they were sure to be the center of attention. Raven was eating this up. She hadn’t been this on top of the world since...well since she had left Hogwarts and her glory days behind.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

Last Edit: Dec 24, 2012 21:46:55 GMT -8 by RAVEN LENNOX MONROE

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Dec 28, 2012 6:26:24 GMT -8

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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2012 6:26:24 GMT -8

Bryant smiled playfully, he was fully aware that the new cup was only a mere two years away; it was already starting to consume his life all over again. He’d already had a couple of all nighters plotting out the different tasks he could make the different champions go through, but as usual, Bryant was over thinking. This challenge was too physical and didn’t require enough mental skill, that challenge was too mental with no physical attribute. The Cup Champion needed to have brains and brawn; which was why Bryant had always thought of himself as a lesser champion than those in the past; he vastly lacked the brawn part. “I’ve still got two years left of being champion, mind you.” Bryant offered her a playful smile, “And I only have to give it up if someone else wins the Cup; if no one survives the tournament, I’m still champion, right?” Bryant looked at Raven with a stone-cold serious stare before finally cracking and laughing with another playful smile. “I’m completely kidding, in all honesty, it’ll be a relief once my tour as Cup Champion is complete.” It wasn’t that Bryant wasn’t proud that he had won the Hogwart’s Wizard’s Cup; because he was immensely proud of his accomplishment. However, Bryant loathed all of the attention and spotlight that was being lathered all over him.

Bryant gave Raven an impressed look, a little shocked at how much she actually knew about him; “Wow, quite the stalker, I see.” his tone was flat, not really giving away whether he was joking with her or not, because Bryant was suddenly unsure of his current situation with Raven Monroe. “My marks weren’t that impressive, I could have done better; I got lazy in Advanced Herbology my seventh year. I just couldn’t bare Professor Sprout’s rants about how Positively exciting the posibilities were when it came to cross breeding different plants and what their potential potions could be.” Bryant shook his head trying not to think anymore about Advanced Herbology. “It began eight months ago. It originally only ran twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays; However, recently you were promoted to three times a week, including a prominent placement in the Sunday paper on the third page. Congratulations, by the way.” Bryant gave her a slightly arrogant smirk, showing that she was not the only one that did her research. Bryant wasn’t necessarily the gossip type, but he read the entire prophet everyday, front-to-back, back-to-front. He felt that it helped him with his job to know exactly what was going on in all aspects of the wizarding world, and reading the paper was the best way to do that.

Bryant felt himself practically swoon as she touched his lapel, he knew he had a goofy grin on his face but there was nothing he could do about it at this point. He grabbed Raven’s opposite hand, craddling it softly in his own as he delicately placed his other hand politely on her hip as they began to dance. Bryant wouldn’t have picked the center of the dance floor, but Raven had escorted him there and he wasn’t nervous about his dancing ability. Bryant had learnt to dance during the tournament, his dearest friend at the time Poppy Pomfrey had taught him before the Formal Ball, the champions had been paraded out infront of the school and been forced to dance. At the time, the thought was terrifying, but after several lessons with Poppy, Bryant had been able to stumble through with little trouble. However, Bryant had now been going to these social events for five years, so by this point he was as comfortable dancing infront of a crowd as he was breathing. Bryant gracefully whisked Raven around the floor, making sure not to be too dominant of a lead, but also showing her that he was in complete control and knew exactly what he was doing. “I’m not prince charming, by the way.” Bryant whispered softly between the two of them; “I am just simply the lucky gentleman that was able to rescue the beautiful damsel in distress.”

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Jan 1, 2013 17:25:32 GMT -8

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Post by RAVEN LENNOX MONROE on Jan 1, 2013 17:25:32 GMT -8

Raven, rather confused by his statement that was a seeming death wish for the next champions, stood there motionless for a moment, her head cocked slightly to the side. It was only when Bryant started laughing that she did as well, a cool and collected laugh, not as manic as her other actions had been with the aid of the drugs in her system. She held up her hands as if she was defending herself and then giggled, ”Apologies, sir.”

[/b] She said, tilting her head slightly down as if she was offering him a slight bow, ”I didn’t realize that you were so defensive about keeping your position as Victor.”[/b] She raised both of her eyebrows when he said that it would be a relief to be finished, ”Oh, I see. You don’t like the parties, the galas, the money, the women, or the booze? Interesting, I think you might be the first champion to feel as such.”[/b] She placed her hand on his elbow and offered him a small wink.

”I don’t think that Professor Sprout cared too much for what you actually did during class; she was more excited that you were a Cup Champion. It’s hardly stalking, love,”[/b] Raven said, her eyes ablaze with curiosity. Had he really expected her to be daft? She had to know the people that she was researching; she had to know everything about them. Where they liked to go for nightcaps, how often they took the underground to and fro their apartments, if they preferred their coffee black or with artificial sweetener. Rave knew for a fact that Mr. Xavier himself always took his coffee black and then snuck a packet of sugar in when he thought that no one was looking. These were the small facts that she had picked up through her job as a columnist. These were the facts that separated her from the mediocre and had made her column such a success, ”It comes with the territory, you should know that better than anyone.”[/b] She was surprised how much he seemed to know about her column and wondered if he read the entire paper so...diligently. She tried to remember the last time that someone had been so...current with her standing as a reporter. She let her mouth fall open slightly in surprise and then offered him a wink, letting him know that she was pleased with the amount that he knew about her; people knowing her name meant that she was on the brink of hitting it big, something that she had dreamed about her entire life, ”Promoted because I know how to do my job.”[/b] She said with a laugh and then pushed some of her red hair behind her shoulder, ”I must say, I’m impressed Mr. Xavier. It appears that you’ve got a bit of a crush on me. Why else would you know so much about my column?”[/b]

She immediately noticed the way that his demeanor changed as soon as they made physical contact and she couldn’t say that she was all too surprised; like most men, Bryant Xavier seemed to be falling for her feminine charm like like a child running after the ice-cream truck. It was perfect, too, seeing as Raven currently found herself running a little low on funds. Dating a man who was in such high social standing could have nothing but good effects on her financial status. She was glad to see that there was confidence in his eyes because hers was all but falsified. Raven hadn’t been to a party and actually formally danced since she had been at Hogwarts. In fact, she had attended the Fall Formal that preceded the Wizard’s Cup with the Slytherin Champion who was a couple of years ahead of her. It had been the most awful experience of her life spending the night with the most idiotic Slytherin that she had ever met, but the gossip that surrounded them alone had her mind in a delicious tizzy. Bryant’s fingers in her own gave her a slight boost of confidence and for a moment, she was able to ignore the fact that she was utterly under the influence of a foreign substance, ”I don’t think luck has anything to do with it-”[/b] Raven breathed as he spun her in a tight turn underneath his arm. She returned to her position in front of him and offered him a semi-wicked grin, ”Although, I’m hardly beautiful if we’re playing this game,”[/b] She chided giggling at him, ”Tell me, Mr. Xavier. How often do you seduce the woman that’s supposed to write a column on you for tomorrow’s paper? Trying to butter me up?”[/b][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Jan 3, 2013 11:36:36 GMT -8

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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2013 11:36:36 GMT -8

Bryant smiled as she held her hands up but then frowned slightly as she bowed her head, he reached up with the tip of his finger and gently lifted her head so that her face faced his. "Please, do not bow to me. I am no one's superior." He said softly. It was one of Bryant's pet peeves, he hated the fact that people felt he was superior to them simply because he had won the Wizard's Cup, or because of his position in the ministry. Bryant was no one's superior and he never wanted to be anyone's superior, he believed that all men were created equal, pure-blood or muggle-born; that was what Bryant's key belief and goal through his office, he dreamed about a day where Muggles and Pure-Bloods could live hand-in-hand together. He laughed slightly as Raven listed all of the things she assumed he had meant, "Oh no, I enjoy the booze. I enjoy the booze quite a bit; I'm also enjoying the women, well, at least tonight I'm enjoying it." He offered her a playful smile, "As for the rest however, I could take it or leave it. I absolutely loathe the social events, and quite honestly… I don't think I'll ever need any more money in my life." Bryant was not attempted to brag, he was just being honest, and he was feeling rather open right now with Raven, it felt like he could be honest with her and tell her anything that he wanted to; "So, quite honestly, I'll be glad when there is a new champion for the minister to gawk over and I can spend my time at a table on the side of the room where I can escape easily."

"It's my job to know about your column, it's my job to know about everything that is written in the prophet." Bryant smiled politely, "It's perplexing however, that for you to know everything about me is not stalking, but it just simply comes with the territory, however, when I know everything about you, it's because of my crush on you?" Bryant offered a coy smile at Raven, knowing that he did not deny a crush, but he also had made sure not to confirm one either. It was much too soon for Bryant to have a crush on Raven Monroe, but there was no possibility of him denying the attraction that he felt to her. "I also have a fondness for well-written articles."

Bryant could feel the eyes on all of them as they danced in the center of the floor, he could hear the hushed whispers started to mutter about what was going on. Bryant Xavier had not been seen dancing with someone other than a high-ranking official since the Wizard's Cup Awards Formal at Hogwarts when he had danced with Poppy Pomfrey. Most people assumed he still was not over Poppy, and Bryant knew them to be right, but he would never confirm those theories with anyone; he kept that aspect of his personal life very private and to himself. "You're writing an article about me?" Bryant asked curiously, he wasn't sure how he felt about her writing an article about him; He really wasn't fond of seeing his name in the papers anymore. Sure, at one point Bryant had loved the spotlight, he'd loved all the attention he was getting and he had loved every aspect of being champion that he now found himself hating; hating every aspect of the life that had cost him everything he had truly valued. “I wouldn’t say I was trying to butter you up, that would imply that I wasn’t succeeding.” He lift his arm, spinning Raven around like a ballerina on display for everyone, and then giving her a low dip, holding her gaze for the briefest of moments as his lips lingered close enough for him to be able to taste her breath on the tip of his tongue. As he righted her with another quick spin he heard a loud pop, and knew it was the flash of a camera, and Bryant had a feeling that the two of them had just made the front page of the prophet.

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Jan 4, 2013 9:13:34 GMT -8

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Post by RAVEN LENNOX MONROE on Jan 4, 2013 9:13:34 GMT -8

Bryant tilted her head back up so that she was no longer gazing at the floor and she felt a slight giggle bubble to her lips. He was such a gentleman and the perfect target for her affections this evening; she had never met someone that was so...focused on getting people to see that he was more than the Wizard’s Cup champion. It was as if he wanted her to know that there was someone other than a celebrity hiding behind the proper-fitting tuxedo and slicked hair. Curious indeed, but it wasn’t as if Raven actually cared, ”Oh sugar, I wasn’t bowing to you because I think that you’re superior, trust me.”

[/b] She winked and then placed her hand overtop of his on her chin. She gave him a slight squeeze and then moved his hand so that it fell to his side where it belonged. She still wasn’t comfortable with other people being the first to touch her; no, she liked to be the instigator. He started rattling off a list of the things that he seemingly did enjoy about his career path and she felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks, ”Oh you sly dog, you.”[/b] She giggled as he said he enjoyed the women tonight, she knew that he didn’t mean Minister Bagnold; she had seen the way that the minister doted upon Bryant and the way that he had reacted which led her to believe that he was not alright with her advances. He mentioned the money and Raven felt her heart give an ivoluntary thud against her chest. She knew that he was rich but he made it seem like he was rolling in the dough, ”You know-”[/b] She said, leaning a bit closer so that she was whispering directly into his ear, ”We could always just sneak out the side of the room anyways and escape. I’m not sure that anyone would even notice the disappearance of the latest gossip columnist and the champion that is soon to be replaced.”[/b] She leaned backwards and offer him a direct wink, all the while keeping her face completely stern and serious, so that he would know that she was only joking with him.

”Of course it’s about your crush on me.”[/b] Raven said with a laugh as she moved her hand to his shoulder and pulled him a bit closer, ”Why else would you read the measly gossip column, hmm?”[/b] His answer was a good one, saying that he had a fondness for the articles that were more well-written and she couldn't say that she blamed him. Most of the Prophet was absolute crap, but when it came to her articles; they were always interesting and insightful. She loved writing them and it was no surprise that people loved reading them too. More often than not, people would identify her by her work in public places, ”Well, I have a fondness for Wizard’s Cup Champions who happen to like well-written articles. I suppose that we’ve both gotten lucky tonight.”[/b] She joked and then patted his shoulder softly with her hand. She brushed some lint off off of the shoulder, knowing that it would not be appropriate for the star of this party to have anything on his jacket lest someone make a scene out of it. It was then that she realized that normally that was her job. ‘Cup Champion come to Ball in dirty suit,’ She mused a possibly headline over in her head, but knew that she wasn’t going to use it.

It was no surprise that Raven Monroe liked the attention that came along with dancing in the center of the floor with the previous Cup Champion. There was such shock and awe from the crowd that she thought that she was going to die of happiness. She flashed the most brilliant smile that she could muster as one of the paparazzi’s cameras went off directly in her face. That one was going to make the paper and it wouldn’t be in her column. The very idea of being in the paper for something else had her stomach in excited knots, ”I was writing an article about you.”[/b] She corrected as they moved along the right side of the floor, ”But-”[/b] He dipped her low and for a moment, Rave felt her heart give a very real flutter. There was something dangerously sexy about the way that he held her close like that, his breath on her lips, her own heart thundering in her chest as they remained in that position for just a moment. Without fail, another flash of a camera shot across the room and Raven hoped desperately that her hair looked flawless, ”I hardly think that it’s fair to mix business with pleasure.”[/b] For a moment, she thought that their lips had touched but he pulled her up from the dip and they resumed their box formation as if nothing had happened. ‘Calm yourself down, Rave, it’s all part of the plan,’ she thought. But it didn’t feel all part of the plan. It felt very real...and very real could be detrimental.

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Jan 4, 2013 13:33:31 GMT -8

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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2013 13:33:31 GMT -8

Bryant took note of the fact that Raven had moved his hand from her chin, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you by touching you without permission.” He muttered softly, ashamed by his very un-gentlemanly actions, he hadn’t even thought about the fact that she might take offense to him touching her without permission. As she giggled, Bryant gave her a small grin, relieved that she was still able to laugh at his comment despite the fact that he had been rude. Her proposal however, had caught Bryant off-guard and it wasn’t until she winked at him that he realized that she was only joking; Bryant leaned into her ear, once again risking being rude by the close proximity and whispered to her “They may not notice the disappearance of the Cup Champion, but I’m sure more than a few of the gentlemen in here would notice if the most beautiful woman in the room decided to leave with another man.”

Bryant willingly took a step forward as she pulled him towards her, “Where there is smoke, there’s fire. Your gossip column tends to be right more times than not…” Bryant once again leaned into her ear, he was realizing that the floral fragrance of her hair was intoxicating and he was probably just trying to find an excuse to smell her hair; “You actually uncovered quite the scandal a couple months back with your piece on the Head of Magical Games and Sports; We had no idea that he had been rigging games and betting on them, neither had the bookie he’d been using at knockturn alley.” Bryant pulled back from her and gave her a sly grin, he knew that he was giving her privileged information; it had been an incident that the Minister herself had specifically covered up as to not make any more press.

Bryant smiled widely at Raven as she talked about mixing business with pleasure, “Well, I most certainly agree. However, I do consider this to be a business dinner, so maybe I am violating my own rule?” Bryant teased playfully as they continued their box-step. Raven wasn’t a poor dancer, but he could most certainly tell she was not nearly as accustom to this formal setting as he was. ”Maybe she can get use to these social events?”

[/s] he thought silently to himself, before realizing that he was assuming that she would actually want to accompany him to more of these events. He hoped that she would be willing, she had made this event much less of a drag than it would have been normally, “However, since I am already violating my own rule, I do have another social dinner next week. It’s with the American Minister of Magic, we are trying to find a way to coordinate with them to regulate international law; if you’re afraid it’s going to be too boring, you don’t have to go. I promise that this time, security won’t try to escort you out; you’d have a seat with me at the main table, if you want to go, that is.”

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RAVEN LENNOX MONROE

?Quinn?

The Daily Prophet

Gossip Columnist

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Jan 8, 2013 7:53:52 GMT -8

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Post by RAVEN LENNOX MONROE on Jan 8, 2013 7:53:52 GMT -8

It wasn’t until Bryant spoke that Rave realized that he had figured out the exact reason that she had removed his hand from her chin. He was incredibly good at reading people, that much was for certain, and for a moment she wondered if he could read that she was toying with him. She immediately shook her head, giving him the official answer of ‘no’ and also reassuring herself, “Don’t mind me, sugar. I’m not offended, just slightly anxious when it comes to other people making the first move. I guess you could say that I enjoy being the dominant one.” She offered him a wink and one of her signature smiles. She was most certainly wicked and she knew it. The closeness that he resumed then did take her slightly off-guard. He was at the level of her ear almost within a second and he was whispering. She immediately felt a chill run down her spine, her mind instantly going blank with surprise. Such a bold move coming from a man that she had thought to be very proper and uptight, “Hardly the most beautiful woman in the room-” She breathed back, making sure to keep their conversation down so that no one would hear them, “Minister Bagnold does look ravishing in her...” She peered over Bryant’s shoulder for but a moment, “Orange tulle gown doesn’t she?” In all honest, the minister looked like a rotting pumpkin, “Hard to believe she’s going on 78 this year, isn’t it?” Her voice was full of delicious laughter; she was in her element when it came to teasing others, after all, that was what Raven’s Rantings were all about.

He was right, of course about her column being right. She took good care of getting her facts straight but often extrapolated when she could. Sometimes she got very lucky and what she wrote would end up being right. The gossip column business was harder than it looked, but if you were good - and Raven considered herself to be good - than it paid. She thought that he was smelling her and for moment she giggled, “Mr. Xavier, if you want to smell me, you don’t have to find your excuse in flattering me about my column.” Just the same, she listened as he praised her on her recent discovery of a scandal within the Department. That one had been very clever on her part, she would give herself that, “Well, it was simple really. A few drinks and Mr. Graven spilled everything.” That, and she had been clever enough to use her feminine charm against him. Oh how she loved being beautiful. It was the perfect way to get what she wanted in this world. She bit down on her lip, trying not to laugh, “He was very...forthcoming with his actions in Knockturn Alley. That man does not know how to hold his firewhiskey, that’s for certain.” She tipped an imaginary hat in Bry’s direction, letting him know that it was all in a day’s work for her.

She let her mind wander for a few moments, lost in the sound of the music that seemed to swirl around them. It was only when Bryant spoke that she looked up and grinned, “American Minister of Magic...” She racked her brain, trying to come up with anything that she had learned about him as of late. She was sure that there was some rumor circulating that needed to be cleared up. This would be the perfect opportunity to clear his name or to put a rumor to it, “Do you often ask women you’ve just met to accompany you to social events, hmmm?” She said with a slight laugh. She removed her hand from his shoulder and used it to flip some of her red hair over her shoulder just in time to catch the flash of a camera. ‘Merlin, you’re good,’ She thought with wickedness, “I think that I could pencil you in. Time a place?” Everything was going according to plan; Bryant was falling for her like there was no tomorrow.

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Jan 8, 2013 12:17:54 GMT -8

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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2013 12:17:54 GMT -8

Bryant gave a gentlemen's smile as she told him not to be offended and that it was simply because she enjoyed being the dominant one; "Well, then I suppose I will just wait and hope that you make the first move then." He felt a small grin creep onto his face as he replied formally. The proximity to Raven was intoxicating to Bryant, and despite the fact that he felt as if he was violating her wishes by being this close, he couldn't bring himself to back off; He laughed softly as she spoke of Minister Bagnold, "To be perfectly honest, I think she resmembles a gord." Bryant's voice was still barely a whisper, ensuring that their conversation would stay private between the two of them, "However, I am grateful that you are vastly more observant with your column that you are at a social event; because if you were not the most beautiful woman in this room, than please explain why every other woman here has been glaring at you since the moment you sat down?"

Bryant felt his face flush slightly as she called him on smelling her hair, but just the same he took another small whiff of the intoxicating aroma; it was almost as if she washed her hair with amortentia. "Then what would you recommend I use as my excuse, Ms. Monroe?" Bryant asked coyly with a slight grin, he knew he was being a little up front but based off of her reactions so far, he was getting the feeling that she didn't particullarly mind it. He listened intently and almost began to wonder if she was trying to play him to get information out of him about his newest project, he pulled his head back slightly so he could see more of her body language and read her face better, "Is that your goal here tonight, Ms. Monroe?" Bryant asked abrutly, still keeping a smile on his face but letting his tone make it evident that he was serious.

Bryant shook his head softly in her direction "No, in fact, I don't believe I've ever taken a date to a social event since I've graduated Hogwarts." he replied softly. He didn't just believe that, he knew he hadn't taken a date. Bryant hadn't been on an actual date since Poppy Pomfrey had rejected him after his Wizard's cup win five years ago. "Well, if you're too busy I'll understand, however, if you are willing to accompany me, I'll have a driver pick you up next thursday evening around seven. Will you be back from the prophet by then?"

Bryant looked around as the song came to an end and he stepped back away from Raven and gave her a formal bow, he reached out and offered his hand with a devlish smile, “Come on, I’m going to take you up on your offer and sneak out of here.”

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RAVEN LENNOX MONROE

?Quinn?

The Daily Prophet

Gossip Columnist

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Jan 14, 2013 21:37:38 GMT -8

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Post by RAVEN LENNOX MONROE on Jan 14, 2013 21:37:38 GMT -8

Raven took that moment to cast another glance over at their darling minister, not surprised at all to find that Bryant had almost certainly been correct about the woman’s look-alike, ”I was thinking more of a pumpkin myself. You would think with her high standing she would have money to afford someone to dress her elderly arse.”

[/b] She was beginning to giggle to herself when Bry mentioned that every other woman in the room had allegedly been staring daggers at her since the moment that she arrive. Cautiously, she began to look around the room, searching for some sign that he had been wrong. However, every time that she made eye-contact with a woman, they would give her a nasty glare and then turn away as if she was a piece of trash on the side of the road. Rave raised both of her eyebrows, ”I’m going to guess that most of them are peeved due to the fact that I’ve spent the entire night on the arm of one of the most eligible bachelors in England.”[/b] She said, making sure that she flashed a devilish grin at one of the women who seemed so...utterly appalled by Raven’s very appearance.

”I daresay you need’t an excuse at all.”[/b] She raised both of her eyebrows in a look of mock-horror but then managed to start laughing, which ruined all of it. She looked at him as the faintest signs of a blush rose to his cheeks and for a moment she found herself wondering if he was always so cute and endearing in this dorky sort of manner. ‘Eyes on the prize, Rave. You’re not meant to be thinking about what he’s actually like...’ She reminded herself, biting down on her lip ever so slightly. The abrupt stop drew her out of her thoughts and she immediately snapped her head up, the coy smile still on her lips, ”Hardly Mr. Xavier. If I wanted you to tell everything, don’t you think Vertiserum would have ended up in your drink? I’ve left the unopened vile of the potion in my purse if you’d like to check?”[/b] She winked at him to let him know that she took no offense in his inquiry. It was natural that he would assume that she was trying to weasel information out of him - after all, that had been her intent in the first place.

She was almost slightly relieved at his admission that he hadn’t taken a date in ages; she felt as if she was just as out of her element as he was out of his...which mean that they were upon equal playing field yet again, ”Thursday around seven.”[/b] She repeated and then nodded her head with as much gusto as she could manage, ”I think that sounds perfect. I’m assuming the event is black tie as well. Most of these events are what with the-”[/b]

Suddenly she realized that they had stopped dancing and he was offering her his hand so that they could leave, ”Your darling Millicent is going to miss you.”[/b] She said nodding toward the head table with the Minister was so obviously looking for Bryant. Just the same, she placed her delicate alabaster hand into his and let him lead the way out of the party. Before they had gotten very far, she pulled him toward the coat closet where she retrieved her furs and then they were continuing on their way to the outside of the building, ”And where, pray-tell, did you have in mind to go this evening?”[/b] She asked as she pulled her fur shaw around her shoulders as they stood outside.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

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Minister's Birthday Ball (Raven) Jan 16, 2013 15:59:53 GMT -8

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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2013 15:59:53 GMT -8

Bryant laughed playfully as Raven compared Minister Bagnold to a pumpkin, “Actually, she does pay someone to dress her…” Bryant gave a feeble smile, he’d met Minister Bagnold’s stylist; his name was Alejandro. He was a muggle that had found out about the wizarding world. Minister Bagnold had given him a job to show the world that it was possible for wizards and muggles to live in harmony. Bryant respected her act of kindness, but thought it a little hollow considering most of the wizarding world would never know Alejandro’s name. “Not the entire night, you’ve spent quite some time on my arm.” Bryant joked playfully at Raven’s compliment about him being the most eligible bachelor in England.

Bryant raised both eyesbrow to mimic her mock-horror and then smiled as she laughed, before a coy grin crept onto his face as she spoke about Vertiserum; “I don’t need to check your purse, because in case you haven’t noticed… I always get my own drink, and I keep it in my hand until I’m finished with it.” Bryant shot a wink at Raven, “You’ll need to find a better way to get answers out of me, if that was your plan.” He teased back at her, “However, I feel like it would only be fair play for me to tell you tht the vile of love potion in my jacket pocket is open and empty.” Bryant said with a straight face, he was much better at keeping himself composed than Raven had shown herself to be. He was kidding of course, but he figured it would be fun to let Raven try and figure that out.

Bryant nodded his head, “Yes, Black tie. However, I think you would probably look better in a dress than a tie.” Bryant gave her a playful smile, “The dinner will be black tie, however, the breakfast the follow morning will be a little less formal. If you need to go shopping for something to wear, I can have my assistant set you up an account at Madam Malkin’s Robes?” Bryant offered cheerfully. He enjoyed taking care of other people, and he honestly enjoyed that his money would be going to some use; he hoped that Raven would actually be willing to spend some of his money and not be shy about it.

“She will hardly know that I am gone by this point, I typically leave after the first dance anyway.” Bryant said softly to her, as he began to lead her towards the side door of the ballroom. “The food at these events is snobbish and not filling in the least. I’m taking you to get us a real meal.” Bryant’s voice had just the slightest edge of confidence beginning to grow with it. He could tell that Raven was genuinely interested in him, however, he wanted to ensure that he didn’t make any mistakes by assuming something, only to find himself as the latest Raven’s Rant.

As they stepped out of the ballroom they felt the cool air brush against their faces. It was summer, so it wasn’t too cool, but more refreshing than anything. Bryant held to Raven’s hand and began to walk down the virtually empty street; they were empty because almost everyone in Diagon Alley had been invited to the minister’s birthday ball, and while a few of them would begin to leave now that dinner is over, the majority of them would stay there until the bar closed.

It was dark as the majority of shops were closed, but Bryant knew exactly the route that he needed to walk; he was going to take her to one of his favorite restaurants, hoping that she wouldn’t be afraid of its location in knock-turn alley. “This restaurant is in a less than ideal part of town; is that ok with you? Or would you prefer for me to take you somewhere else? I assure you that I would be able to protect us, if anything were to happen… you know, like a dragon or something.” Bryant offered her a playful smile with his question as they stopped at the top of the street that would turn down knockturn alley.