Sunday, December 28th

Evelyn Pascal was certain some of the other girls were quite confused by her behavior when she’d asked them to participate in the fashion show. It had taken some time, but Evie was finally beginning to become her old self again.  Ever since her parents had divorced, she’d been rude to a lot of people. When she started Hogwarts, she kept just to her Slytherins. But now, she’d begun to socialize outside of her house, and felt a bit better about herself.  And it was fashion that had done that.

The past few weeks had been somewhat crazy for the fifteen-year-old girl.  She’d been sewing, designing, and altering all kinds of winter outfits. Some more for outside wear, and some higher fashion items.  Evie couldn’t believe that her work was going to be showcased, but it was quite a thrill.  She’d talked to some of the girls at Hogwarts, and then Lothario had contacted some others about modeling. So Evie had quite a group of people. And this was both a scary and exciting thought.

Now, she was hurrying to make sure everyone was set with wardrobe and makeup.  Evie was also trying to make sure the models knew their correct order.  The show still had an hour or two before starting, but she was on edge and wanted to make sure it went as well as possible.  She was quite thankful for Lothario d’Aubigne for all his help. He had been the one to supply everything that was needed, besides the clothes. Without him, they wouldn’t have gotten the runway and funding needed. Looking around, she noticed him watching as everything was getting set up.  She decided to head over and thank him (as she’d probably already done a few times)

“Mr. d’Aubigne, I cannot thank you enough for everything.  You are helping to make my dream come true. Thank you so much. If ever you need anything fashion related, I would be honored to design and make it for you.”  Evie truly was thankful. This was the true start of her fashion career. Her name would now be out there, as well as her clothes.  And she was quite proud of those clothes.

Also, she was quite proud of Neely's help too.  Evie couldn't have done it without her friend helping her choose outfits. It was a lot of fun showing her designs to Neely, too.  And she was able to choose her favorite designs to wear, as she was one of the first to look through. Currently, Neely was somewhere in their dressing rooms getting prepared.  Evie was already wearing one of her favorite dresses and a coat, and was making sure all of their plans were going as intended.

Somewhere, back in the recesses of Tulojow's mind, she remembered a vague, blind agreement.  Back in her days as Hogwarts' Gamekeeper, she'd promised a young Slytherin that she'd be willing to subject herself to a makeover.  Whether Neely Woolfolk remembered that discussion, Tulojow wasn't sure and she hadn't given any indication that she planned on offering herself up for this endeavor.  She'd simply decided to arrive in support of the youthful creativity and see where that led her. 

She dressed simply.  Jeans, a simple seater, her typical boots.  Chances were, by the end of the afternoon, she'd be sporting something far less simple - she might as well enjoy it while she can. 

A wayward, sugar-highed youngster came barreling past and narrowly missed Tulojow as she weaved through the clusters of people.  Tulojow managed to sidestep the youngster, steering him off in a different direction with a gentle hand on his shoulder.  The boy hardly seemed to notice as he took off in the new direction. 

Pausing at the edge of the stage, Tulojow recruited a passing student to offer her a hand up onto the stage.  She approached Evelyn with a soft grin.  "Have need for a last minute add on?" 

Lothario had been more than willing to help with the Hogsmeade fashion show. Allowing a little girl the chance to design clothes and have real models show them off was likely a dream come true for her. And, making any child's dream come true, reflected well upon his reputation. Anything to further the good name of d'Aubigne in the public eye. That was his motto. The more he was loved, the less likely it was that anyone would discover his true colors and the things that he got up to when nobody else was around.

"I am more than happy to give you this chance," he told the girl with a soft smile. She was so very excited. "Sometimes it takes getting one small foot into a door and then poof! all of your dreams come true. I have invited some very important people here today to view your work, Miss Pascal. I am certain that they will not be disappointed." By very important people, he mostly meant other designers and models. But if one liked what they saw, then that was all that the girl could ask for.

"I wish you very much luck for this show of yours..." Lothario was about to give the girl a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder when an older woman approached. He gave her a once over, quickly dismissing her presence- not even really acknowledging she had arrived. Last minute add on? Pft. Who would allow such an old woman to strut across a stage? Surely not Lothario d'Aubigne, and hopefully not his little prodigy.

"I am certain all will go well," he finally commented, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I am going to take my seat, and after the show I would like to introduce you to some of the wizarding world's finest designers if you have the time Miss Pascal." He gave her a charming smile before taking his leave to find a seat near the stage.

Winter break was almost over. Fauna did not want to spend her Sunday stuck in a humiliating fashion show, the second show she'd ever been in. Merlin, had Evie and Neely not remembered how she'd ruined the last one?! She hadn't just tripped, but caused the whole line of models to topple over!

Fauna, in an oversized sweater and old jeans, crossed her arms and inched closer and closer to the backstage area. There must be some mistake. She'd show up, explain this mistake to Evie, and then slink away to the safety of her home.

But then she saw Tulo and overheard her greeting. "Tulo!" Fauna exclaimed, hopping up on stage and giving her a one-armed hug around the shoulders. She wasn't able to hide her surprise at Tulo participating, and hoped her reaction didn't offend the Healer.

Speaking of offensive...

"Did you get roped into this too?" Oh, shite. "I mean... invited?" Fauna winced, glancing apologetically at Evie. Evie had been consistently nicer to her this semester, and though Fauna still thought it was because of Devlin's influence, she appreciated it all the same.

"Evie," she smiled at her hesitantly. "Are you sure you want me to, uh... be here?"

outfit

When Megan had received an invitation to the fashion showcase run by Evie, she had been genuinely surprised. While the two of them weren't exactly friends, she didn't have a problem with Evie. But, she was far from concerned over how she looked, and she was definitely not anxious to be fashionable under normal circumstances. However, she had been dressing fancier recently, and her outfit yesterday had been her best attempt yet at looking fashionable. Besides, she wouldn't mind dressing up in something, as long as she wasn't going to be humiliated by it.

Now, at the fashion show, Megan was getting ready in the outfit that she was supposed to wear. She was glad to see that Evie chose such a nice outfit for her to wear. Plus, there were no heels! Recently, she had been wearing heels more often. But, she didn't want to risk tripping and falling during the middle of the show, then she would feel bad for ruining the whole event. So, yes, she was definitely happy about the outfit.

The only real consequence that Megan saw, was having to submit to wearing make up for the fashion show. She never wore a lot of make up, and it appeared like she was going to have to for the fashion show. But, she was comfortable submitting to it, since it wasn't that big of a deal to her anyway. Besides, she knew that anything that she was wearing had to be perfect, since Evie was essentially designing everything. To her knowledge, Evie never did something like that before, so that meant everything needed to be perfect to show a good impression. Even with Neely there, she was certain that nothing that bad could happen at the fashion show. Even so, she would still work to avoid Neely as much as possible.

After painting her nails black, Megan decided to leave the dressing room as she waited for her nails to dry. There was only a little more make up that she needed to apply to her face before she was fully ready. Walking out of the dressing room, she looked around for a moment and spotted Evie at the other side of the room near the stage. Remembering that she never thanked Evie, she walked over to where the other girl stood. By the time she got there, both Fauna and Mrs. Nagde already other there. She smiled to both of them. "Hi Fauna, Hi Mrs. Nagde," she greeted them. Turning to Evie, she smiled to her as well. "Thanks for inviting me, and for choosing a great outfit," she said to her.

“Fauna, chin up!” Lou flounced into view of everyone, having narrowly escaped a lethal round of aerosol hairspray. Really, how did the Slytherin girls survive this long? It definitely explained a lack of brain cells for a few who shouldn’t be named...

Bending down to toss her arms around the Hufflepuff, she appraised both of their reflections in one of the many (no really, there were a freakish number) mirrors backstage. Ha, backstage. What a strange concept. Lou had never imagined she would find herself backstage at a fashion show. Maybe a school play, or a raffle, or some kind of Quidditch honorary ceremony. But a catwalk? It was beautifully hilarious.

“I hear it’s en vogue for models to look narked and a little soulless, but it’s Christmas!” Or nearly. “And you look like an angel, so come on.” She planted a kiss on the badger’s cheek and pulled back with a giggle, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair, lest she ruin the haute aura and bring out the harpy in little Evie Pascal. It was in there somewhere. No one could be that cute all the time.

“And hey Megan! Madame Nag-- Er, Tulo?” She tried, feeling a little awkward, but liberated nonetheless. If rumor had it that the hippie healer preferred a first name basis, who was Lou to complain? It made her feel in on some sort of brilliant story. And it didn’t hurt to test the waters. “Meg, you look lovely. Do you know who that bloke with the hair is?” There was no other way to say it. She looked from the Ravenclaw and shot an eyebrow in the direction of the mobster looking fellow. He seemed handsome, but aging. It was some serious Dorian Gray nonsense.

“Evie!” The squeal could be heard throughout the bustling, “model”-strewn area where girls a plenty (and some boys, too) were having their hair backcombed, makeup painted on, and fashion-savvy looks pinned to the waist (often, quite literally, with pins.)

Neely sashayed toward her friend, taking a flying leap of sorts just meters away. She tackled the girl-- it was, naturally, a graceful, delicate tackle-- and promptly made eyes at the charming gentleman she was courting. “Oh my Mrs. St. Nick’s Knickers! Mr. d'Aubigne?” In the flesh, apparently.

She looked from the man to Evie, seeking confirmation, and then back to the man again.

The fashionable sponsor was something of a hero today. He’d picked up where Arius had left off, supporting the arts with moneyed pockets and a glittery, aristocratic smile. The exotic appeal of a Man From Abroad didn’t hurt, either. “It’s an honor,” Neely cooed, extending a hand. Her other reached around the back, linking with Evie’s, to steady herself and stop from giggling. She squished oh-so-innocently into her friend’s side. The cold was as good an excuse as any. “You’ll see that Evie’s designs are very fashion forward, but totally classy. Like... Witch Weekly cover worthy!”

“Thank you so much, I will be sure to find you after. I do hope you enjoy the show.” Evie said then gave a small curtsy as he walked away. She then turned her attention to Tulojow Nagde.

“Hello Ms. Nagde! I’m not too sure about that, I can take a--” She was going to say she was going to take a look at the schedule when a slightly older boy, one of the helpers, came over to her. And he then informed her that one of the real models had owled to say she wasn’t going to make it. Something about a show in Paris she couldn’t miss. Evie dismissed him and then turned her attention to Tulo. Though the professor wasn’t the typical model, since it was for charity and fun, Evie didn’t want to say no.

“Well, it appears we do have room for you. Thank goodness you’re here. You will add a nice diversity to the show, too. Hopefully you aren’t averse to wearing something a bit fancy. I have a couple extra outfits on the racks over in that corner.” Evie pointed to where the racks were. On them were a couple extra coats, sweaters, pants, and dresses. Then there were also a couple of pairs of shoes. “If you’d like to take a look, I’m sure there’s something that should fit you there. If you have any questions, just ask me, or someone around. Thank you so much for being here!”

Then, Fauna Blake showed up.  Evie was actually quite glad she was there. Despite her  mishap the last time she was in a show, Evie felt she would do well at this one.

“Hello, Fauna. I am certain I want you here. I know your last show didn’t quite go that well, but this one doesn’t require heels. I also made sure to assign you one of the more casual outfits. I have faith in you.” Evie gave her a polite smile.  Fauna was pretty and a good choice for a model. And Evie hoped that she would do well, and perhaps give Fauna an boost in confidence. Both her, and Megan, who had appeared shortly after Fauna. Megan had already gotten herself dressed, and she looked quite stunning.

“Oh, you look wonderful, Megan! Thank you for agreeing to be in the show. It means a lot. And I’m glad you like the outfit. It looks perfect on you!” Evie smiled. It meant a lot that Megan was sincere in her thank you.

Next to skip into the growing gathering was Emily Lou Carter.  Energetic as always, Evie couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. 

“The bloke with the hair is Mr. Lothario d’Aubigne. He’s very well known for his support of the arts. He’s also the man responsible for sponsoring this fashion show. Quite generous of him.”

Evie was barely able to finish the last sentence before being girlishly tackled by Neely Woolfolk. Neely was one of Evie’s best friends (despite not having seen each other in some time due to Evie being engrossed in finishing the outfits for the show).  It definitely was good to see her again.  This was probably the most social interaction the girl had had in a while. Neely had arrived just in time to catch the last of Lothario before he headed back to his seat.

“Thank you for your endorsement, Neely. Hopefully those in the audience will think they’re that great too. I can’t believe I’m really doing this. It’s an amazing feeling, finally showing off my work.” Evie smiled at her friend, then looked back around.

“Thank you again, everyone, for your work. I really do appreciate it all.” Evie gave everyone a smile, before allowing them to get back to their conversations, and getting ready.

(Not sure whose turn it is but I thought I'd post anyway!)


Fauna was thrilled to see Megan and Lou there, and complimented them both on their outfits and appearance. She laughed and hugged Lou back, pleased by the affectionate greeting. It made her feel much better about coming to the show. Though in comparison to her friends, she felt a bit dowdy in her regular clothes and hoped she could change into something else quickly.

Evie surprised her by telling her she had faith in her, and that she'd selected a more casual outfit so that Fauna would feel more comfortable. No heels, too! Fauna smiled in relief, embarrassed by her thoughtless comment earlier.

"Thanks, Evie. I'll get changed quickly then. And uh, yeah. Sounds good."

Neely had arrived, and Fauna moved over towards the racks of clothing, glancing through them until she found one with her name on it. Her shoulders relaxed. It was a more casual outfit than the rest, and the pretty blue coat felt soft and matched her eyes. Fauna took the hanger off the rack to get a better look at it, admiring Evie's work.

This wouldn't be so bad! And no heels! She reminded herself for the second time.

She went into the dressing area and changed. Then one of the backstage artists hurriedly waved her wand in her face and fussed with Fauna's hair. When the artist was finished, Fauna slipped on the flats left out for her by the door. She was ready!

An older fellow gave Tulojow a quick, dismissive glance before turning back to Evie.  While he might have some positive qualities, apparently common courtesy wasn't amongst them.  He seemed to have that pompous, self-righteous air of one who believed himself an artist and, yet, had a very narrow definition of 'art.'  Such people weren't worth changing one's principles for so Tulojow offered the man the same broad, pleasant smile and nod in greeting that she would have offered anyone. 

Turning her attentions to Fauna - who seemed to have a much better grasp on the concept of friendly greetings - she offered the young woman a warm smile.  "Hello, my dear."  She returned the one-armed hug with a proper two-armed squeeze.

"I'm actually volunteering," she offered.  "Besides, never hurts to diversify the definition of beauty, does it?"  Whether or not the soured husky man would her, Tulojow didn't know nor cared.  "Please, Tulo's fine," she offered as Megan approached them, nodding in confirmation to Lou as she corrected herself. 

Tulojow followed Fauna behind the curtain, pausing at the clothes rack as the young woman ducked in to change. "Don't think heels are quite my thing," she mused aloud with a smirk.  Walking in heels was a skill she'd yet to master.  Given the state of her knee, she wasn't optimistic it would be a skill she'd be adding to her resume anytime soon.  "I don't think anyone would appreciate me in a short skirt," she continued to comment as she leafed through the selections. 

When Lou and Fauna complimented her, Megan smiled. "Thanks. I'm sure you'll look great in what both of you are wearing too!" she responded with a nod. She looked over at the guy that Lou was referring to. He did seem like a strange person to be hanging around backstage like that. But, she was no one to comment on not knowing that person. There were plenty of people that she didn't know, since she wasn't raised in the wizarding world. She shrugged at the question, "I have no idea..."

Right at that time, Neely came over congratulating Evie and talking to the bloke. She was guessing that the guy was an important figure for the fashion show, or at least in the fashion world. After all, Neely and Evie talked to the guy like in a seemingly important way. Since she wasn't interested in fashion, she would definitely have no idea who he was.

Megan smiled as Evie complimented her. "Thanks. Your designs are absolutely amazing. I don't mind at all. Actually, I'm happy to participate," she responded. She was sincere in her words. After all, she had been invited to the show, and was happy to come. For that matter, she was happy to see Evie behaving friendlier. Having appreciated that, she could tell that Evie was sincere in her own words.

Nodding her head, Megan heard as Evie introduced the bloke to be the sponsor of the fashion show. Clearly Mr. d'Aubigne saw plenty of talent in Evie. She heard Tulo correct her, and she nodded. The rumors that she heard where true, that the healer liked a first name basis. For that matter, she never had an extensive conversation with the healer, so she wouldn't have known that information from the top of her head.

Noticing that her nails were dry, Megan followed Fauna and Tulo into the dressing rooms. Upon reentering the room, she applied the remainder of the make-up. Now fully ready, she exited the dressing room for the final time, and joined Fauna, complimenting the Hufflepuff on her outfit.