Ethan's Ulterior Motive (open)

[Ethan Forrester]

Ethan normally exhibited his particular brand of calm stoicism, rarely expressing much emotion in public. Perhaps part of that came from being neurodivergent, though it might also owe a small part to being an ex-Auror.

Those who'd spotted Ethan during the preparations for the dance, however, might've observed an unusual level of energy and enthusiasm.

For this occasion, he'd worn a sharp blue suit, complete with his original Ravenclaw student necktie. The stripe pattern was slightly different to the modern incarnation. Observant people might've noticed.

About an hour and a half into the event, there was a scheduled interlude, and Ethan stepped onto the rostrum where the head table resided.

"May I have your attention, please?", he announced. "And Professor Silverberg, would you please join me for a moment?"

Ethan gave Elyria a moment to make her way to his side.

"First, we would like to express our gratitude to Professor Rossi for agreeing to hold the solstice dance this year when Professor Silverberg and I proposed it to him." He started a brief round of applause, then continued.

"I think I'm going to refer to Professor Silverberg as Elyria from this point, because I'm about to mention her quite a lot." He offered a brief smirk to her. "I first pitched the idea to Elyria at the Three Broomsticks while chaperoning a Hogsmeade Weekend. My inspiration had been a similar event held here in 1987. I was head boy at the time, and Elyria happened to be head girl at the time. On account of us being the head boy and girl, Professor Flitwick--Ravenclaw's former Head of House--had given us the privilege of having our own private study room in Ravenclaw Tower to share.

"When the 1987 dance was announced, I didn't even know how to dance, and I had no social life to speak of, so I was apprehensive about attending. However, I also knew it would likely be my last chance to ask Elyria on a date before we completed our schooling at Hogwarts. You see, we'd started out as rivals, but over six years and three months, I'd developed a bit of a crush on her. To my delight and relief, she agreed to attend with me, and she also agreed to teach me some basic dance moves so I wouldn't completely embarrass her.

"When I was an Auror, I had to face down dark wizards many times, and as a professor, I've had to deal with angry parents and howlers several times, but I think asking Elyria to the dance was perhaps the single bravest thing I ever did, and it turned out to be one of my better decisions. She taught me how to dance in that same private study room. We were Nerds with a capital 'N', though, and we agreed not to let our interest in each other distract us from our studies for the balance of the year.

"After Hogwarts, we went our separate ways, but still met up whenever we could and attended social events as a couple. I studied curse-breaking as a specialty to give me a leg up in becoming an Auror. I think Elyria was terrified that one day, I might not return from one of my assignments. I admit the thought had crossed my mind as well. Then, in 1998, there was the Battle of Hogwarts. We were both shaken, not just by the loss of life but also by the sheer damage that had been done to the school that had been our home for seven precious years. We wanted to help rebuild it, so we both decided to return to Hogwarts, now as professors of the arts that we knew best. And of everything I've done career-wise, teaching has been the most rewarding experience to date.

"Fast-forward a few years, and that brings us to today. Elyria and I have been discreet, never letting our relationship interfere with our teaching or other responsibilities, so it will probably come as a surprise to many of you to learn that we've been romantically involved in the background the whole time we've been teaching.

"And now, I have a confession to make. When I first pitched the idea for a solstice dance to Elyria, while the reason I stated was a good one, that our seventh-years would otherwise graduate without ever having had the experience of a school dance, it was not the only reason. My ulterior motive to re-creating that memorable experience from 1987, was this...

Ethan retrieved a small box from his pocket, and knelt down before Elyria, and opened the box, revealing a silver ring sporting a brilliant blue sapphire.

"Elyria, you have been the one constant in my life since we started at Hogwarts. First you were my rival, and then you became my study partner, and then you captured my heart and became my dance partner. I could not imagine my life without you being at the center of it.

"Will you do me the honor of becoming my bride, now and forever?"

[Elyria Silverberg]

Elyria had been mingling with some of the other professors while keeping a watchful eye over the students. The Winter Solstice Dance had been going well so far, which was a blessing in and of itself given the way Hogwarts notoriously never held events without something going awry. But, truthfully, it's what she loved about the school. It certainly kept her on her toes, even if it meant she'd inevitably need to start looking up spells and potions to hide the greys that were bound to appear sooner than later.

She noticed Ethan stepping up to the rostrum and called for everyone's attention. The room fell quiet and Elyria heard Ethan ask her to join him. She gave a smile and made her way to the rostrum, which was close by her group. She stood beside him in a complementary set of blue and purple hued dress robes. Elyria's eyes looked to him as he spoke and out to the crowd as she nodded in agreement regarding their desires to let the seventh years have something so special to share.

When Ethan mentioned referring to Elyria by her first name, her ears perked at the statement. It was informal and it caught her off guard, but she trusted Ethan's direction. She could feel her cheeks flushing lightly. The two of them had been through quite their share of events over the years. Coming back to Hogwarts felt like a full circle moment to her. And even though they maintained contact over the years, being back in the castle with Ethan just felt right, even if they were the ones in charge now.

The revelation of their relationship caused some students to grin... and some to groan as teenagers are wont to do. But no sooner than she noticed the grins did Elyria notice movement from the corner of her eye. As she turned her head, she only saw the wood paneling and stone wall. Her eyes moved down, expecting to see Ethan passed out on the ground... except she still heard his voice. Her eyes widened in shock as the words slowly registered, her hand covered her mouth delicately as she felt her whole face heat up enough to keep the entire castle warmed for the rest of winter. Her hand dropped to her chest as she nodded in auto-pilot while her brain fully processed.

" ...Y-yes!" Elryia exlaimed as her head bobbed affirmatively. In that moment no one would convince her otherwise that it was just the two of them standing there in that moment. In her eyes flashed her rival from her years as a student and then back to the man whom she loved deeply that was always there for an ear - or and earful depending on the goings on in the school. She held out her hand which was trembling lightly despite her best efforts to steady it.

" Ethan, I don't know what to say... which may or may not come as a shock." She chuckled softly. " You took the words right out of my brain as you shared our history together. But in this moment, all my mind goes back to are the days we shared studying and then dancing. At first it was practical to get you up to speed, but it slowly turned into something special. Our time. Or rather, our time to block out the rest of the noise and share some quiet with each other. I always cherished those days."

" And now we are back here as professors and it feels like we've come full circle. No matter how we tried to hide it, I think it was no secret that we were very close." She gave a soft chuckle and took a deep breath. " But perhaps this moment is where things finally come full circle... and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life as more than a rival, or a colleague, or a girlfriend, but as Mrs. Ethan Forrester, your wife." She smiled at Ethan, her eyes becoming shimmery from the water building that she was doing her best to contain.

[Ethan Forrester]

Ethan stood, and removed the ring from the box and slid it onto Elyria's ring finger. He then tugged her gently closer and gave her a kiss, one that elicited a round of whoops and hollers. When he broke the kiss, he was sporting the biggest grin ever as he tried not to laugh from the students' cheering.

"I actually wasn't expecting her to take my surname on account of the confusion there would be with two Professors Forrester around," he admitted while stifling laughter. "If some howlers intended for me end up getting delivered to her instead, I won't complain. But I'll let her make that decision."

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, the next song in the queue is a special request of mine, a throwback to 1987. Let's dance and enjoy ourselves, everyone!"

As the music began to play again, it was based on the song Somewhere Out There (YouTube link).

Ethan did a little bow to Elyria, then took her hand to lead her in a waltz.