Roxie smiled, satisfied with the effort gone into putting on this ball. She always held a ball at Christmas, and this year was no different. There were three trees up the back of the hall, all giant pines decorated to the trunk with jewels and baubles and tinsel. The two side-standing trees were topped with the emblem of the two Dorm houses, and the middle tree topped with the school emblem. It looked good.

The great oak doors into the entrance hall stood wide open, showing off the glittering expanse of snow outside. The lake was just visible through the trees, and as always it was frozen over. Tonight it looked especially beautiful as there was the thinnest layer of frost over the top. It made it look like some fairy had gone over it and sprinkled it with white dust - which in reality, it had, but anyway...

The entire hall was magnificent with a fire burning in a giant fireplace at the far end, lots of room for dancing and enough food to feed all the starving children in Africa. Roxie smiled brightly as the guests poured in.

"Merry Christmas, Durmstrang!" she called to them, arms open wide, and then the band started up and the dancing began.

((OOC: Roxie's dress:

))

Sabrina, who wasn't really one for balls, decided that she ought to go anyways, so she walked down the stairs from her common room in a dress and ballet shoes. She loved wearing dresses, but this was kind of a new sensation, as her dresses had always been long to keep her warm in the wilderness. She wasn't used to the short dresses, and she felt somewhat naked when she wore them, but it was so comfortable.

She entered the hall and her mouth fell open. It was beautiful. She also saw Roxie there. She had to smile and gave a wave to her, not really expecting one back or anything. She then walked over to the table with drinks and took one. She was so thirsty. She didn't even know why. She just was. She wondered what would happen tonight, she was really quite excited to be a part of a ball.

(OOC: Sabrina's dress
)

Lillian giggled at one of the girls in her house who was busy fussing over Lilly's hair. "Stop it, seriously, I think its fine!" Lillian protested, swatting the girls hands away. She shot Lilly a grumpy look and protested, but Lillian shook her head. The intricate design of which her hair was now in made Lillian look pretty - something she'd never been. The girl seemed to be skilled in the arts of charms already - though she explained this was because her mother had been teaching her since she was little - and had lengthened Lillian's hair into an even, mid-chest length.

Lillian flattened her dress, and with her shoes in place she hurried out to the Tower Dormer's Common room, and then out of there and through the halls which were filled with happy students. She continued along until she'd reached the Entrance Hall, where the ball was set up. Everything looked amazing, and Lilly stared around her for what seemed like hours before she could move. Lilly smiled at her headmistress' dress, it really was amazing, and then continued to the food table. She grabbed a delicious looking chocolate muffin and munched on it happily.

---

Lilly's Hair:


Lilly's Dress:

Alexandre walked down the stairs from his common room, wearing a plain tux. Balls really weren't his thing, but this was his first year. He could at least see how it would turn out, and judge by that whether or not he'd participate at other balls. He walked into the room and looked around. It was pretty cool. He saw Lillian over by the food table, and walked over to her.

"Hello," he said casually. She was looking very refreshing in the yellow dress.

(OOC: Alex's tux:

)

Lillian looked up as she heard footsteps coming towards her, and was pleased when she saw Alex. Finally she had a friend to talk to, and she'd been beginning to worry he wouldn't show up. She decided that he looked adorable in his suit - which pleased her.

Lilly loved adorable things, as you could tell with her bright yellow, polka-dot accompanied with a bow dress. She squealed and waved at him, before she pounced on the casual Alex.

"Alex!" She exclaimed, taking a step back and fussing over him. "You look adorable." She beamed at him.

Tricia looked over at Nara with a grin. They'd opted to go with matching dresses save for the colour, just to be the awesome twins they were. Tricia looked back at her mirror and continued to twirl her hair around intricately. It would take some time to complete her hairstyle, but she had already been at it for nearly an hour. She slid the final clip into place, cast a preserving charm (it would only last for a couple of hours) and carefully placed her flower in. Tricia wasn't one to doll up, but she'd found that the prospect of looking amazing for a ball was exciting.

Tricia picked up her sparkly, light pink lip gloss and slid it over her lips, adding that extra shine that made them look lovely. She picked up her press powder and dabbed it lightly over her face, before smoothing it with a brush and adding a touch of blush. She packed that all up, before she then applied her eyeliner around her eyes to make them stand out. She put on some sea-green eyeshadow to bring out the colour of her eyes, and indeed thats what it did. She stood up and smoothed out her dress, doing a twirl for herself in the mirror. She looked over at Nara. "You ready?" She asked.

---

Trish's Hair:


Trish's Dress:

Silvanus did not do much to her hair but still she brush it look already. But she stared at this dress that is and she was little perplex at one thing. She finally slid her hair down she ran comb through a hair after she decide not quiet ready for this so called dance that is

.She nervous enter the ball and she came through the door as she enter the ball she thought of leaving because these thing for couples right.She want to go home back to her parent but she could not believe she was talk into staying.

Then she look quietly around she worn the color that her parent would hate her for wearing green they did not want to wear such clothes as green and or even black shoes where symbol of what they did not want her to be liked Servus but then again she was not liked him she change her clothes and in some case he did not. Or that he had a lot of copy of the same robe and she came through the door and seat down.


Silvanus dress

Silvanus shoes

Liselotte stared at her dress, very pleased with it. She thought it looked quite pretty. However, it seemed her hair was in a stubborn mood so she'd left it down in its natural curly state and stepped out of her room. She walked along to the hall with her head bowed and she used small steps - her heels made it hard to walk quickly - until she reached her destination. The hall looked beautiful, as it did every year, and Liselotte immediately scanned the room for Roxie. She spied the headmistress and walked over to her side slowly. "You look amazing, Roxie. Though I do wonder where your hat is," she smiled softly at the woman.

Liselotte looked around the room and noticed that their was a very large amount of food. The snow effect made the room even more beautiful, and she hugged Roxie. "It looks just as breath-taking as last year!" Liselotte exclaimed, releasing Roxie from the hug and blushing bright red.

-

Liselotte's Dress:

Deva looked around the circle of people, giving them a nod, making sure they were ready. Deva was ready, she'd been through much of this already. She held out her hands, the two on her side taking them and they all apparated, landing in the village near Durmstrang. She saw Caitlyn, Nora and Sam joining up with them and she nodded back at them, her face in a very serious facade. She looked at them all, and they started walking towards the gates, hiding in the shades of the night. It was cold as it always was in Germany.

They reached the gates, and got in, knowing that their presence might have been revealed now, so they hurried on and got closer and closer to the castles. Deva gave a look at some of the following members, and pointed at them to scatter around the castle, finding new ways in. Deva took out her wand and gave another look at the people behind her.

"Now," she said firmly, and pointed her wand at the closed doors. She walked over to them and opened them up, rushing into the castle, and hearing loud music. Deva pointed her wand to the big door into what she had learned from spies to be the dining room. She blasted the door off its hinges and walked into the room, looking calmly around.

Alcyone stared up at the Durmstrang castle with distaste, a feeling of hatred burning within her. She remembered all those times her German tutor had tortured her, and a majority of her scars were because of him. She could feel the word 'Blood Traitor' burning on her arm and she focused that hate into energy that she could use to attack the German's with. She made a note to try not to harm students, only bluff to get to the German's. She hoped that not all German's were heartless and would surrender if a child's life was at stake.

Alcyone sighed as she realised that train of thought was very 'Alcyone' like and not 'Caitlyn' enough. Caitlyn was a heartless bastard, and so she switched into her mode. Instantly, she was at Deva's side, her 'right hand woman' if you may call her that. Caitlyn could feel that the magic around the gate would most likely alert whoever was in charge of their entrance, and so they all picked up the pace as they approached the castle.

Caitlyn smirked as the door was blown open and she stepped through the doorway, peering around curiously. Caitlyn stood there now with the others, a cruel look in her eyes as she raised her wand and pointed it at the ceiling. "Bombarda maxima!" She cried and the chandelier hanging delicately came crashing to the ground.

Sam followed Deva and Caitlyn she walked toward the gates and wasn't nervouse she just hoped they'd be safe and if they were hurt Sam was going to be seriously angry she sighed and walked toward there.

It was exactally like how Alex had described it, she smiled and followed them she honestly wasn't wanting to be in this fight since she had met Casey but she sighed and knew she has to she saw the door blow off it's hinges and she smiled she walked inside with Deva and Caitlyn and she pulled her wand out and pointed it at a wall that was away from all the students and professors " Bombarda Maxima!" Sam shouted and she watched the wall explode she sighed and looked at Deva and Caitlyn hoping they wouldn't get hurt.

Roxie smiled as the hall started to fill up, and waved to Sabrina as she entered and walked to the drinks table. A voice sounded beside her and Roxie turned slowly to see Liselotte standing next to her, in a beautiful dress. "Aw, thank you Lisa," Roxie returned. "You look devine." She was about to say more but her wand, hidden away in the frilly folds of her dress starting buzzing.

Roxie's eyes widened and immediately she snatched it out. "We have visitors," she said, marching towards the entrance hall door. "Get every student out. NOW."

Just as she said that, the doors burst open and in trooped a bunch of leather-clad women. Fury filled Roxie's mind and eyes as they tore apart the walls and knocked her chandelier down from the ceiling. Roxie swept her wand over the students dancing beneath it and hurled them out of the way.

"Well, well, well," she cried over the rubble, a nasty, icy edge on her cold voice. "What have we here? A bunch of British Rats, come to play some games?" Roxie's mind was already picking out theirs and attempting to get in - she wasn't the most skilled Legilimens in Europe for nothing.

"You've just destroyed my hard-work, girlies. I think you may just have to pay for that!" Roxie snatched out her wand in a curving motion, and three bob-tailed whips lashed out from its' end. She didn't stop, even when she felt it grind against flesh.

Tess was nervous, her stomach was tightening and she swallowed up any guilt that was roaming around. She could not back down, this was her first mission and she needed to show her loyalty towards the Order. She immediately slipped on her cloak and hid her face so no one would see who she was. She had no experience in Germany, but her father was famous there for a loyal British Auror one of the best and bounty would be high on her head.

Rather than exploding herself in as others had, she was more stealthy, instead she slipped from one of the dark ledges and jumped down towards the ballroom. She felt herself being bombarded by someone pushing into her mind and immediately closed off, feeling a dull headache coming. Her wand was out and she was ready for what was to come.

Casey had been in his quarters when he message from a elf that he was needed down in the hall at the ball. He didn't want to go to the ball because he was not with Sam, they had a beautiful weekend and he could not wait until the next one.

Casey made it down to the hall in time to hear something blow up, he was hoping that the students were ok. He knew it was the British that had come in and hoped that Sam was not with them. They had a pretty secret life going on right now and knew that it would come out eventually.

Casey saw the Highmistress and ran over to where she was firing a few spell along the way.

"What would you like me to do?" Casey asked as he fired a couple of spells.

Roxie never failed her attention on her opponents when Casey approached her. "Mr. Raven, how kind of you to join us. Kindly help me defend this castle," Roxie ordered through gritted teeth.

Roxie decided to leave an order in all of her staff member's heads. Start with the children. Get them to safety or there will be no end of paperwork. And next, whichever staff member does not make it down here to protect the school is going to be in serious shit.

Casey could tell she was very upset over this and he didn't blame her at all. Casey thought as he fired a few more curses. He knew about defending the castle that point was obvious, but he just fired curse and decided to start and try to get the remaining students out of the hall.

When he heard the Highmistress's mental note he had to pass one back to her. Not many knew he could do this.

"My brother is not in the building anywhere, he mumbled something about getting a urgent message and left." Casey thought back to the highmistress. He really had no idea where he had gone.

He continued over to a small group of students trying to get them out of the hall.

Alex ran to the hall where an attack was taking place Alex sighed and ran inside to notice a lot of Brits she gasped as she saw Sam.

Alex felt tears well up in her eye's her own cousin, betrayed her. Alex help some of the students out of the hall when she heard the Highmistresses not she nodded and fired a few spells at them she looked toward Sam and almost cried.

" I'm sorry" Alex mumbled and she shot a spell at Sam she had no choice, Family or not Alex wasn't about to let he school go down in flames even though she was only the librarian she still knew a lot of spells.

Deva looked in mild interest at the highmistress, knowing she was a very strong witch. No one was elected the head of a school without being able to defend it, of course. And Deva knew she would try to attack their minds. Because of this, she had already firmly closed it off. She might not be skilled at probing others minds, but she was highly skilled at closing her own off, courtesy of her parents, always nagging on her to work hard on that.

She watched as the highmistress wand turned into a whip and she managed to dodge most of the attacks, but she knew that to be able to get to the woman, she'd have to sacrifice some skinwounds herself. So she let the whip hit her, and it hurt, but she knew enough pain to survive this.

"Reducto!" she said firmly, sending multiple other curses at Krum.

She wasn't oblivious to the other professors around, but this was the worst opponent Deva knew she'd most likely ever have. And she was prepared for it, because she could be pretty nasty herself. Especially with her weather skills. Of course, she was not about to make it thunder in here anytime soon. Not before she was absolutely positive that all the students were gone and she didn't end up hurting one of them. She would never forgive herself for that.

Sam sighed and noticed Alex and Casey had come, Sam didn't want to hurt them but she knew she had to she saw Alex sent a spell at her and she quickly dodged the spell than she felt someone pushing into her head and she quickly blocked them out.

Sam felt a tear well up in her eye she blinked it back though, she signed and pointed at a wall that was away from the students " Reducto!" she said than she looked at Alex and gave her a sad smile " I'm sorry" she told Alex she knew Alex would understand but Casey she couldn't look at him she knew he wouldn't love her anymore she sighed and Said a non verbal spell at Alex.

Sam dodged most of the Whips but one of them slashed her arm and it hurt she gasped but continued to fight Alex.

Caitlyn felt a strange feeling on her mind and immediately recognised it as the highmistress trying to enter. A few key thoughts left her mind, one of her, her husband and her baby - Alcyone mode had kicked in for a moment - but she quickly shut her mind off and growled. Now she'd done it, if the highmistress was clever she'd figure out those people were of value to Alcyone. But she was not Alcyone, she was Caitlyn. Caitlyn shook her head and focused her attention on a professor who had just shot a spell at Sam. At the same time Sam performed her non-verbal spell, Caitlyn whispered, "Stupefy!" And flicked her wand at the professor.

Caitlyn then swivelled on her heel and charged at a man (ooc: Casey), her daggers drawn and her eyes alight. It was a barbaric attack that often surprised people and gave her a momentary control of the situation. She suddenly ran straight past him, but turned in a lightning fast movement and threw her dagger at his back, though he'd moved and it was heading for his arm. She didn't stop to see if she'd hit her target as she kept running. She circled towards Krum from behind, wand pointed as she ducked under one whip but was hit across the face by the other. She touched her cheek, a wave of pain crashing over her. Not another scar, she didn't need more. Caitlyn shook her head and got rid of Alcyone once more. "Bitch, I don't like this game it's highly un-fair, wouldn't you agree?" Caitlyn growled despite the fact that Krum was out-numbered for the moment. Out the end of her wand came three whips as well, though these had special hooks in them that, once driven into the skin would have to be pushed all the way through to be taken out. Or removed with a painful, time-wasting spell.

She aimed for Roxie but narrowly missed the woman who had possibly been able to pick out her next movement from her suddenly opened mind. Caitlyn wasn't the greatest at concealing her thoughts and paused a moment to re-close it, in which she was hit by another whip.

Alex blocked the woman's stunning spell and she barely dodged Sam's non verbal spell Alex was getting mad, her own cousin the one person she thought she could trust betrayed her Alex growled and sent a million spells at Sam

Alex didn't want to kill Sam by no means, but she hoped this would convince Sam that family is more important than this group she was a part of Alex felt tears hit her cheeks and she looked at Sam " You would kill your own cousin? I can't believe you!" Alex yelled angirly.

" Think Sam I've been with you through everything and this is how you repay me!" Alex yelled more tears fell out of her eye's she was more hurt than angry she sighed and shot a stunning spell at Sam.

Sam watched as Caitlyn sent a stunning spell at Alex and Alex dodged it she sighed when Alex began to yell at her than she saw Alex was crying Sam honestly wanted to start crying but she knew they'd think of her as weak she had half a mind to tell Alex to pull herself together.

" I was with you when Chris died I was with you when your dad did those things to you I was there!" Sam yelled back she dodged Alex's spell and she noticed Caitlyn threw a knife at Casey's back Sam quickly ran to Casey.

She hoped to push him out of the way and hoped the knife would hit her instead she knew Casey probably was wondering why she did that she blinked and sighed.

Tess was wide-eyed at not the attacks but the emotions behind them. The emotions were hitting her on and on different ones and it made her stomach churn. She threw a stunning spell towards the women screaming towards the other member named Sam. She knew that it was a distraction towards Sam and her fighting abilities.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried out.

Her eyes widened immediately as the women she was trying to protect was now protecting the man who was her enemy. Had she betrayed them?

Nora circled around the group, staring at them all. She'd quietly slipped in behind Caitlyn and Deva. She now stood off to a corner, watching the fight with interest. She made mental logs of every opponent, how they fought, their signature moves. They had allowed her to analyse them, it was a foolish mistake. She watched Roxie, already knowing of her amazing capabilities. Caitlyn and Deva were fools to think they could take her on, as everybody knew Roxie Krum was crazily powerful and would be able to eventually crack your mind. Unless, you were like Nora and your mind was protected by darkness.

She wished it wasn't, but sometimes her darkness could prove to be of use to her at times. Like now, as she spread it across the room and was able to penetrate everyone save for the Order and Roxie - her power was too strong. She twisted at their insides and began to push them to the ground, her eyes narrowed. One tiny distraction would break her focus and she would not be able to keep her grip on the others in the room and they would be able to continue fighting instead of laying on the ground with a heavy, invisible weight on top of them.

Alex gasped and blinked as a woman shot a freezing spell at her she dodged it and smirked " You want to play... Girlie? Let's play!" Alex said dangerously she pointed her wand at her " Expelliarmus!" Alex said hoping to disarm the healer she than noticed Sam ran to Casey Alex smiled.

'So that's the guy Sam's in love with' Alex thought than she turned her attention back To the woman and waited for her to attack.