The Black Swan
So this is my first Harry Potter fic so please be nice and give any advice you can!
Summary: This is AU! Harry Potter: Untrained Dancer scouted at a fountain and taken from his relatives' home after learning the truth of his parents. What will his life become after he joins the Dance troupe and like his parents before him, will he find true love within the passion of Ballet?
So I got the Idea for this after watching the movie Black Swan and reading about Swan Lake. I hope you all enjoy this and I promise to do all research necessary but if I do get something wrong either in the Ballet or with Harry Potter, let me know!
This is my own version of Swan Lake though.
Warnings for this chapter!: AU! OOC-ness, Rated T for now but rating WILL go up!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Swan Lake or the Black Swan. I do own this plot though so please ask if you wish to use any element from here!
Thoughts
"Speech"
Shoulders back.
Back straight.
Knees bent.
Elbows symmetrical.
Spin!
Spin!
Eyes straight.
Kick your leg out higher!
The orders rang through his head as he spun before the crowd, poised precariously on the edge of the fountain. He placed his foot down and leapt along the edge. Everyone's eyes were on him, on his body.
The young man had jet black hair that was tied tightly at the back of his head and held in place with multiple bobby pins. His legs were clad in an old pair of black basketball shorts, the hems frayed and covered in dirt yet showing off toned, hairless pale legs and feet clad in harshly treated toe shoes. His upper body had nothing on it save a few scars, bruises and a silver bracelet on his left wrist. The most shocking thing about this incredible dancer though was his brilliant emerald eyes. They both unnerved the crowd and drug them in so that they could not walk away even if they had wanted.
The boy's breath came out in small white puffs in the November air and his body trembled ever once in a while from the cold but still he danced. The tape recorder on the ground by a dingy cardboard box released the sounds of classical music ranging from Chopin to Beethoven and to modern music in the form of pop and electronica. When the tape finally concluded, the boy ended his dance with a bow.
Everyone gathered erupted into a thunderous applause for the amazing dance provided by this mysterious boy who moved to sit at the edge of the fountain. People surged forward to dump coins and small bills into the box as they thanked him for his dance before clearing out. From behind the box, the boy pulled on an oversized sweater riddled with holes and clutched his body to try and keep warm.
"Excuse me my boy; may I have a word with you?" an elderly voice sounded from directly in front, causing the boys head to jerk up. Flashing Emerald and twinkling blue met for the first time.
"My name is Albus Dumbledore, I run a Ballet troupe around here and I would be much obliged if you would come for a visit today for we have tryouts this evening. May I have your name?"
Emerald eyes blinked for a moment before scanning the person who had spoken to him. This old man had long white hair and a long white beard that was tied at the bottom with a ribbon. His eyes peered down at the boy over half-moon glasses with gold rims and his clothes were unique to say the least. He wore a long, bright orange trench coat and a pair of bright purple slacks that were just a tad too short revealing mismatched socks. One was orange with purple stripes, the other was yellow with green and pink polka dots.
"Harry, sir. I…I would love to attend but I must return home, sir. I can't be late…" The boy, Harry, knew that if he didn't get something to eat now, the people he lived with wouldn't let him back out to eat until the next day and he already hadn't eaten for three days. Albus didn't know this though he had seen the signs of starvation.
"You're not an orphan?" The surprise in the elder man's voice made harry cringe slightly. He didn't want to discuss his home life with a stranger. "I am sir. I live with my Aunt's family. If I am not home on time, I will not eat and as you saw, I am skinny enough so please sir, let me go home." Instead, Albus frowned, his eyes darkening slightly before he smiled. "I will walk you home and ask your family if you can come with me to the audition." Harry didn't have much choice in the matter as the man started to follow as soon as the boy stood up to leave.
The two stopped at a small bakery where Harry was able to get a bowl of hot French Onion soup and a chicken salad sandwich. Albus bought them both slices of Lemon Pound Cake and when they sat to eat, he told Harry all about his dance troupe. They were known as the Hogwarts Traveling Dance Troupe and they practiced three different forms of Dance: Ballet, Jazz and Tap. The troupe was split into four groups: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Apparently the groups were named after the first four dancers who formed the group.
Slytherin was started by an immensely talented Danseur named Salazar Slytherin. Gryffindor was started by a very quick footed Tap Dancer named Godric Gryffindor. Hufflepuff was started by a female Jazz/interpretive dancer named Helga Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw was a woman who designed all their costumes, wrote their plays and choreographed the dances named Rowena Ravenclaw. When the four grew older, they started separating the students into the four houses or dorms to be trained as their replacements. Now, the four dorms were used to place who specialized in what and each house had two heads who were the Prima Ballerinas of each group, one male one female. They were run by the different dance instructors; Albus was the Headmaster of the troupe.
The most interesting fact about this troupe was that, if a male was better suited for a women's role in a certain dance, the boy would cross dress and play that role regardless. Albus didn't mind blurring the lines of gender for the sake of the dance.
When they finished, the sun was just setting over the horizon and Harry hurried along to get home before it was dark, Albus trailing behind. London's shopping district gave way to lovely houses just as the first lamp was lit and Albus became more and more curious as to why a child who was so skinny and dressed so shabbily lived in such a nice area. When they finally reached a rather large house, Albus glanced at the address in case he had to come back, Number 4 Privet Drive.
The boy knocked on the door and wrapped his arms around himself, shivering in the bitter cold for as the sun went down, the night turned everything to ice. Loud footsteps sounded before the door was ripped open by a man so large, Albus wondered how he walked. "Boy! Where in the blazes have you been!" A beefy hand reached out for Harry, yanking him towards the door and causing a whimper to escape his lips. Albus stepped forward then, making his presence known.
"I ask you to release him good sir."
Beady eyes narrowed and locked on to Albus, taking in his eccentric but expensive clothes and a large greedy smile placed itself on his face.
"Oh, you brought a guest. My apologies. This boy has a habit of running around with ruffians so we try to keep him in line by setting up a curfew which he has broken. I didn't know he was in the company of someone as fine as yourself. Please, do come in." The heavy man moved out of the way, allowing Harry to lead Albus into the gaudily decorated house. When they reached the living room, Harry took a seat in the farthest corner of the room on the floor. Albus sat on one of the couches while the large man said something about calling down his family.
When the fat man returned, he was followed by a smaller but equally large child and a tall, skinny yet horse like woman.
"I apologize for the late introductions. I am Vernon Dursely, this is my son, Dudley and my wife, Petunia." He extended a heavily decorated hand which Albus took stiffly before introducing himself. "I am Albus Dumbledore and I run the Hogwarts Dance Troupe." He noticed Petunia stiffen. "I wish to take young Harry in and turn him into a dancer."
Before Vernon could answer, Petunia shot out of her seat on the couch. "No! Dance took away one person already, you'll not be teaching that boy any of that pansy stuff!" Vernon nodded slowly while Dudley just munched on a plate of cookies. "Why would you want the boy anyway? He cannot dance." Out of the corner of his eye, Albus saw Harry stiffen.
"He dances wonderfully, I saw him and though he is untrained he has more potential than I have seen in years." Petunia growled. "That's exactly what the school said about my sister before they took her to that damned Ballet school! Or did you forget about her?" Albus blinked in surprise for he had no clue what she was talking about. "Lily Potter! Though she was Lily Evans back then. That's her son! Harry Potter, are you going to ruin his life as well?"
Albus was shocked and he instantly turned to Harry who was blinking at his Aunt in confusion and hurt. He had never known his mother was a dancer… "What are you talking about? You told me they died in a car crash." Petunia rounded on the boy while Albus tried to organize his thoughts. "They did, that is what killed her but she never would have been rushing to the ballet if she hadn't been a dancer! I was proud she was a dancer but then she met that man and he took her away! Kept taking her around the world with that damned Ballet troupe of his and then they had you! Then they were late because of something or other and drove off a cliff in the rain while trying to make it in time for a show!"
Albus stood then. "Lily Evans was an amazing Prima Ballerina and the car went out of control. James was an amazing Danseur who was Lily's partner as well as lover and they had a young son. That boy went missing after they died because of disputes in the will…I had always hoped to find him and after seeing the treatment here, I think he would be much better off in the school."
Vernon stood and yelled something about do not speak to my wife that way and Albus argued with the woman but it was all just buzzing in Harry's ears. He was shocked…his parents had been in the Ballet…
"Stop!" He surprised himself as he yelled…he never raised his voice. Everyone turned on a dime to stare at him, giving him a moment to gather his thoughts. "I…I want to dance. I want to join the world my mother lived in." He squared his shoulders and held his head high, walking quickly past them all and to the door which he opened before turning back. "Mr. Dumbledore? You said there were tryouts tonight…let us go, please."
Albus nodded and followed the boy out with a smile. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder while flagging down a taxi. "You will never have to return there, child. We will provide food, clothes and a home, all you must do is dance." Harry smiled and looked out the window. If this is what he had to look forward to then this was just where he wanted to be.
When they pulled up in front of a large stone building, Harry could only stare in awe of the gothic feel. Albus quickly pushed into what turned out to be the showers with the parting order to shower while Albus found him some proper clothes, when he was done, Harry Potter would face a whole new world…and he couldn't be happier.
Okay, so that is the first chapter! Kind of a prologue to the rest! I needed toget him to the dance troupe lol.
Please Review if you have any advice or anything! I know this is kind of choppy but it is my first time and I promise it will get better!