#the hphl scene has been in my head for a while

[mizutoyama]

Let's start with Alice

The first formal attire we have for Alice is for the Celestial Ball, which you can see HERE. As for why did she go for that look... Andre. You can find the fic that goes with it HERE.

Her second formal attire (which is technically the first one I wrote about back in 2018) is for a reception done in her honour by the Egyptian Ministry of Magic. You can see it HERE and find the fic HERE. Again, Andre picked it out.

Now, Astraea!

It's as if my obsession with ball scenes served me well, as I actually commissioned some time ago a picture of Astraea in the formal dress she wore for the Christmas ball in her 6th year (we're not going to call it the Yule ball, as that always starts a debate).

Here's the gorgeous illustration done by @giselsann-opencommissions

The dress in real life:

Why did she go for that look? To show off in front of a certain Slytherin boy who called her ignorant

As a bonus, here's a little scene I imagined to go with it:

Astraea had managed to escape Hector Fawley's company, craving some fresh air after enduring the incessant solipsism of his discourse. In the pursuit of tranquillity and a respite from the hubbub, she directed her steps towards the gardens adjacent to the Great Hall, leaving the clamour of the ball behind the wooden doors. While Hector's conversation had bored her to tears, Astraea found herself unable to suppress a smile upon the recollection of Sebastian. His countenance, riddled with vexation whenever she indulged in a dance with the esteemed Ravenclaw Head-boy or chuckled at his feeble attempts at wit, was a sight she found most amusing. She slowly made her way toward the gazebo, her mind once again enveloped in the image of Sebastian's face when she undertook the graceful descent of the stairs, where Hector awaited her arrival. The blaze in his eyes when Fawley kissed her hand… She laughed.

"What is so amusing?" asked a voice from behind her.

That voice was all too familiar to her. The very same voice that had audaciously labelled her as 'ignorant' only a few weeks ago. She turned to face the owner of the voice. "Nothing that concerns you, Sallow," she retorted with a chill.

"Saw you with Fawley… Of all the buffoons at Hogwarts, you chose to accompany that pompous prick!" exclaimed Sebastian, standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to the gazebo.

"Why, pray, should it concern you with whom I chose to attend this ball? How could it possibly interest you with whom a lady you deemed so ignorant should decide to pass her time?" retorted Astraea, slowly losing her cool.

Sebastian's face reddened slightly, taken aback by her sharpness. "I only meant that you deserve better company," he muttered, avoiding her gaze.

"You presume to know what I deserve?" she asked, her tone icy. She crossed her arms over her chest, the movement causing the delicate fabric of her dress to shimmer under the moonlight. "And what, pray tell, leads you to consider yourself qualified to make such a judgment?"

Sebastian seemed to squirm under her scrutiny, his hands moving to clasp behind his back. "I..." he began, but his voice trailed off. He looked away, his gaze settling on the distant twinkling stars that adorned the night sky overhead.

"Exactly," Astraea cut in, her voice laced with a bitter edge. "You don't get to decide that, Sebastian. Not after what you said."

"I may have been harsh, but you know what goblins did to my sister, and yet you choose to associate with one of them. You've even confronted some yourself. How can you hold such unwavering trust that he will not deceive you?" replied Sebastian, joining her under the gazebo.

Astraea met his question with a dismissive shrug. "I just do. Not all goblins support Ranrok's ways."

Sebastian exhaled a weary sigh, extending a hand towards her. "How can you be so…"

"So... what?" interrupted Astraea, stepping back with a flash of anger in her eyes. "Pray, finish your thought. What, precisely, am I in your estimation? Shall we revisit the well-trodden path of 'ignorant'? Or do you intend to employ further breadth of your lexicon, Mr. Sallow? Perhaps this time, I shall be deemed naive, innocent, foolish, or even outrightly unintelligent?"

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why must you persist in being so obstinate? I am merely concerned for your well-being. I fear you may not fully realize what you're getting yourself into, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Ah! So it is my judgment and my skills you don't trust! Have you forgotten that I bested a full troll in our fifth year, or triumphed over many of Ranrok's Loyalists and Rookwood's Ashwinders. I have even vanquished enchanted sentinels with a penchant for beheading and rescued a dragon from a fighting ring. But it seems, in your estimation, my judgement and abilities are so flawed that I am incapable of determining the trustworthiness of a goblin."

Sebastian's voice rose in desperation, "Will you just listen to me!"

"No! I have had my fill of your doubts. I am done!" With that, she began to remove herself from his presence, making her way toward the courtyard near the Ravenclaw tower. "I wish you well, but I must insist that you refrain from speaking to me ever again."

In a fit of desperation, Sebastian pursued her. "Astraea, come back this instant. Why do you persist in disregarding my counsel?"

"Counsel? Such a claim is rather humorous coming from someone who thought it was a good idea to go looking for a Scriptorium where we could have died," she retorted, as she kept walking, holding up the skirt of her dress to avoid tripping on the hem as she ran down some stairs.

"But we didn't!" he replied, managing to catch up with her.

"Indeed, and only because I agreed to endure your casting of the Cruciatus curse upon me," she retorted, her voice laced with indignation. "In truth, I think you present a greater threat to my person than any Goblin," she shot back, reaching the bottom of the stairs just as he seized her wrist.

"Let me go!"

His grip tightened as he halted her progress, pulling her around to face him. "Enough," he growled, his voice barely rising above a hush. "Astraea, I…" His words dissipated into the cool night air, his countenance a tableau of vexation and turmoil.

Astraea raised her gaze to meet his. She could see in his dark brown eyes that she may have gone too far, fuelled by her anger. "You what? Will you resort to the Imperius curse to force me to listen to what you have to say?" she challenged, her tone rich with defiance.

Sebastian merely stood, his gaze locked onto hers. His eyes, a mirror to her own fiery defiance. Those emerald eyes that had vanquished him in their fifth-year duel, that had saved him from an untimely watery grave prior to their sorting ceremony. He had sought these eyes for solace on the train after Anne's curse. The same eyes that, without fail, engaged him in an intellectual duel during class. They belonged to a girl who was as vexing as she was intriguing, the most frustrating girl in all of Hogwarts, yet he found himself eagerly anticipating the sight of their sparkling verdant depths each morning.

Sebastian gently let go of her wrist, his hand instinctively migrating towards the soft contours of her cheek. It was a tender gesture that spoke volumes more than any words could. Astraea's eyes widened in surprise, but she made no move to withdraw from his proximity. Sebastian, emboldened by her lack of resistance, leaned in closer, practically erasing what little distance was left between them. Then, in a moment that was as swift as it was inevitable, his lips crashed onto hers, igniting a spark that had been smouldering between them.

Their kiss was brief, a mere second before the reality of his actions struck Sebastian. He stepped back, aghast. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. It was entirely inappropriate, and I..."

His apology was cut short. Astraea had seized the lapel of his dress robe, drawing him back towards her. She was unsure of what had possessed her, but she yearned for the intoxicating sensation of his lips upon hers. Their lips reunited, this time with a fervour that left them gasping for breath. The world around them seemed to dissolve, leaving only the two of them beneath the starlit sky.

Sebastian's hand found its way to the nape of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair. Astraea continued to draw him closer, as if he could never be close enough, until her back made contact with the cold stone wall against which she leaned.

Their kiss intensified, their movements becoming more instinctive, more desperate. It was as if they were trying to communicate a lifetime of emotions through a single kiss, their actions reflecting a profound, unrefined yearning which had them clinging to each other with a tenacity born of passion. Their breaths mingled, their heartbeats syncing in a rhythm that was as old as time itself. Their world narrowed down to just the two of them, every other thought and consideration fading into insignificance.

Astraea's heart pounded in her chest, her blood singing with a fervour she had never experienced before. Her mind raced with a thousand different thoughts, each reflecting the myriad emotions coursing through her—surprise, confusion, exhilaration, and beneath it all, a profound sense of rightness.

Sebastian, for his part, was equally lost in the moment. His mind, once a whirlwind of doubt and uncertainty, was now filled with a singular, resounding thought. It was a realization, a revelation that filled him with a sense of peace he had never known. He loved her. He loved Astraea.

However, their moment was abruptly interrupted by a shocked gasp. "Sebastian Sallow!"

They both raised their eyes to see Natsai Onai, whose initial surprise swiftly transformed into a look of horror as she recognized her dearest friend Astraea as the girl entwined with Sebastian.