Month 28th, 1895 — Hogwarts Great Hall
Coming Out Ball
Gown Inspo | Hair Inspo

Samantha Lockridge had descended the steps without incident. There had been no major incidents so far (at least that she'd observed personally), and she was confident. She had no reason not to be, after all. So here she stood, taking a brief moment to herself, sipping at a glass of champagne. Her dress was a confection of lace, elegant and playful but not too girlish. At least, in her eyes. The neckline, hemline, and silhouette should have been enough to convey the image of womanhood, at the very least.

Looking at what the other new debutantes had chosen to wear, Samantha suddenly wasn't so sure.

"I don't look strange, do I? Not too childish?" she asked of the person standing beside her. "You wouldn't mistake me for one of the younger students, right?"

"I just worry I overdid it with the lace," Samantha admitted softly, fussing with the lay of her skirt for a moment. "But thank you, Mr. Zabini. Your reassurance helps greatly." It really did. Samantha looked a touch more confident in herself, holding herself in a bit more of a dignified manner (if such a thing was possible).

If it weren't someone she knew so well, perhaps she wouldn't dare to comment. But given that she'd known Mr. Nicodemus Zabini for so long, she felt confident being a touch daring. "You know — I've not seen you on the dance floor yet tonight. Feeling a touch nervous?" She kept her tone concerned, yet light, not too deeply inquisitive. He could easily brush her off if he didn't want to answer.

He was right.

Tonight wasn't an announcement of the young gentlemen entering society — it was the young ladies, entering the marriageable spheres of society. She hadn't forgotten, of course. She was just trying to make conversation, be friendly. At his question, Samantha smiled. "My dance card is as full as I'd like it to be," she said honestly. She didn't want to overdo it on her first night in society, make herself seem desperate. She wasn't.

Her elder sister had already seen success, and her younger sister's debut wouldn't be for a few years. She had time to find the perfect match for her. "May I ask, what are your plans, now that we're adults?" Samantha hadn't paid much attention to her male peers' planning efforts, but she was genuinely curious what he had planned. He was a fellow Ravenclaw. Surely he would have some sort of successful position.

Samantha sighed wistfully as he mentioned going on tour. "I'd like to see the continent at some point," she confessed — but this was unlikely to be news, not to Mr. Zabini. He had probably overheard her lamenting about how young men of status were encouraged to travel, while young women of status had to remain home and enter the marriage market in the common room once or twice in the last couple of weeks. But it was her lot, and she would play it.

"There's no career on the horizon for me — none that comes with financial compensation, at least. I might volunteer somewhere at some point. Not sure where, though," she admitted. "But for now, my focus is the season. Do you know where you'll be going first?"

She wasn't asking just because she was jealous. No. Certainly not. She was.

It truly was a pity, but Samantha didn't let her disappointment show; she'd always been good at keeping her emotions to herself. Mostly.

"I suppose I like art as much as the next person," she hummed. She wasn't much of a visual artist, herself — and she was especially hopeless with watercolors. But she thought other people's work was nice enough. "And you? Do you like art?" This probably was something they ought to know about each other, but, alas. And besides, it wasn't as if they'd ever had much time to talk like this.

Oh, well.

"Yes," Samantha confirmed with a slight smile. "I feel it's one of the few visual things I'm actually decent with." She hoped her answer would be satisfactory, but honestly, she worried. Still, if they were to speak of school clubs, she might as well refer to his other extracurricular activities. "I must confess, I did attend every Quidditch game," she added after a beat. "You're quite skilled on the pitch."

Maybe it wasn't appropriate to bring up Quidditch, but it was out there now.