Dancing Shoes: Problem
* * *
Author's
Note: This is part 1 of a 3-part story. Hey, I did promise to write something
at least a bit more light-hearted after 'Invincible', so here it is. And even
light-hearted, it's *still* kinda long. Darn. =/ Oh, well, it'll take awhile to
tune myself to write short when I need to, I guess, so bear with me. Tell me if
you liked it or not... Yeah. That's that. But do tell me if I did a good job on
it or not...romance has never really been my department. Yeah, I'm repeating
myself, but that's that. =/
--Cybaster
"Believe
in the Sign of Zeta!!!"
Disclaimer:
I own nothing of anything here but the two pairs of dancing shoes that will be
used in half of the entire story. Otherwise, Harry Potter and everything affiliated
with that name alone is created and belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling,
Bloomsbury Publishing and Raincoast Books.
Special
Thanks: Extremely special thank-you to Sarah Jane and Shadow Dragon for beta
reading this story. *Arigato gozaimasu*…I think…
* * *
"Think, Hermione…think…" Hermione Granger pleaded with
herself inside the silent hallways of the Hogwarts Library and, at the same
time, cursed her own stupidity. Thanks to her, the last year of her Hogwarts
school days would also be her most embarrassing, and it wouldn't be by any
means because of her school work. She was more than thankful that there was
nobody else in the library with her; although it was nothing special since the
school year was drawing to a close, Hermione was still glad that the library
was empty when it was. However, it still didn't help any.
And it would be her most embarrassing year yet, that is,
if she couldn't figure something out to solve the problem soon, considering
that she didn't have much of any time left at all.
"There's got to be something you can think of to get
yourself out of this mess!"
Hermione searched her mind over and over and came up
with nothing. She became desperate. She had thought the problem over and over
when reminded and when she had the time to now, had searched the books in her
possession and almost everywhere in Hogwarts, and came up with nothing. She
didn't even care that the library couldn't possibly be the place to solve her
imminent problem.
Blast it, Hermione, she cursed herself again, you're becoming like Draco now. If she didn't let her girlish pride
get the best of her at that moment of all the hours in her life, none of this
would be happening now to Hermione.
* * *
It all began with a simple
question, from Parvati of all people.
The final seventh year
examinations were drawing to a close in two weeks' time and it was a time
everyone was looking forward to. Not really the examinations themselves, but
rather the Graduation Feast and, more importantly, the Last Moments Dance for
the seventh years. Other than the actual graduation ceremony the next day after
that and the End of the Year Feast, it would be the last time the seventh years
would be with each other again.
And it was a time to both
remember and look forward to, since there would be nothing to be worried about
by then. The examinations were over and graduation would soon draw near. A
bright future awaited them. Voldemort himself was utterly destroyed by now,
defeated by the one and only Harry Potter only a single month ago, and the
Ministry's efforts in hunting down his remaining Death Eaters were wrapping up.
For perhaps once before the events surrounding the Triwizard Cup three years
back, the students of Hogwarts could finally relax again.
For Hermione Granger, though,
the Last Moments Dance was nothing to be excited about back then. In fact, the
day had never reached the back of her mind until Parvati Patil brought it up a
week before the examinations.
"Hey, Hermi!" Parvati stopped
her midway to the library that day, and Hermione stopped to listen
half-annoyedly. She should never have answered --- that was her first mistake.
"Who are you goin' to the Last Moments with?"
"Oh, m-me?" Hermione answered,
surprised. She still remembered how stupid she sounded. "What about you?"
"Oh, I'm goin' with Dean, as
usual!" Parvati replied, giggling with the characteristic smile that became
her, obviously proud that she had a boyfriend herself and was going to the Last
Moments with him. Ironically, Parvati was one of those numerous seventh years
in Hogwarts to have a boyfriend and one who could go to the Last Moments with
her, and maintain a fairly decent set of
grades, of all things, and this only made Parvati even more perky and teasing.
"After these examinations are over we're getting everything set for that day! Who
are you going with, Hermi? Asked someone yet?"
Hermione felt as if some inner
fear had broken loose --- given how busy she had been with her examinations,
she forgot completely about the Last Moments! And now Parvati was probably here
to both 'remind' her and tease her because of it. Somehow she managed to regain
her calm, however, and give Parvati a half-cold stare.
"Never crossed my mind, what
with all these exams and all coming." Hermione coldly replied. Then, she made her
second mistake. "I'll think about it after the exams. Now, if you'll excuse
me?" Hermione added in a hurry to rid herself of Parvati and quickly took her
leave, leaving Parvati to stand there. Hermione had thought that she had put
Parvati off; to think that was her second mistake.
Persistent as she was, Parvati
intercepted Hermione again almost immediately after her last examination, and when she did, Hermione
was already expectant of what Parvati was going to ask her. That was her third
mistake. "Finally! The exams are over!" Parvati squeaked. "And I'm all set for
the Last Moments Dance! It's going to be great! Well, Hermi, are you ready
yet?"
Hermione restrained the urge to
groan. "I'm getting to it, Parvati. The examinations have only ended minutes ago!"
"Don't tell me you're not
planning to prepare for it!" Parvati 'feigned' surprise. "This is the last
dance of our school years! You've got to go! Do you at least have a date yet?"
"Date?"
"To go to the dance with,
silly!"
Hermione was about to respond to
Parvati when an obnoxious voice chimed out from behind Hermione. It was to lead
to all these problems. "Date? For her?" chimed out the near-infinitely
taunting, mirthless tone of Draco Malfoy himself. Even nearing the end of the
school years, Draco, very much proud of himself, was determined not to let any
chance to embarrass the others pass by --- and he's certainly not going to let
this one by. "Mudblood can't get a date even if the Ministry told her to!"
"Shut up, Draco!" Parvati cried
back before Hermione had a chance to turn around. "This isn't any of your
business!"
Draco merely laughed. "Mudblood
isn't saying anything because she knows I'm right. Of course, how could she get
a date? She cannot even dance good, for crying out loud! Boys would be afraid
of her in no time flat!"
"And I suppose you could do
better?" Parvati countered, nudging Hermione for her to say something back.
"Better than her, at least,
Pathetic Petal!"
"Really. Right. If you really
could dance, you wouldn't be a Slytherin."
"Mudblood has only been lucky so
far. She isn't even a better wizard---" Draco winced unpleasantly as he said
this. "---and when it comes to smaller things like this, I'm way better than
her or you!"
"Why you---"
At this point, Hermione could
stand no more of this bickering, and decided to speak out to end it. At that
same time she decided to take the tact of telling off Draco to do it --- and
that would be her third and fatal mistake. "I can dance well enough when I want
to." Hermione countered coldly even though she clearly knew it was a horrid
lie. "But I really don't have time to waste teaching you how to, Draco."
Draco's next four words would
spark the problem: "Then prove it, Mudblood."
Before Hermione could respond
accordingly, Parvati had already pushed her forward into her own dead end:
"Well, she will! You'll see, dragon bait! Right, Hermi?"
Draco laughed. "We will, won't
we? At the Last Moments Dance. We'll see how well Mudblood really does,
Pathetic Petal. Everyone will be watching."
"Alright."
Hermione nodded assent and felt
her entire world fall in upon her.
* * *
Obviously, Hermione had, not for the first time by any
means, gotten herself in a lot of trouble. Firstly, she really didn't have a
date and had never, ever thought of getting one even for the Last Moments ---
the last year was practically hectic on her schedule, anyway, so she never did
find the time to indulge in boyfriend/girlfriend relationships even if she
wanted to. That wasn't too big of a problem, though; Hermione knew that she
wouldn't be the only one stuck in that situation. Many of the seventh years
still didn't have girlfriends or boyfriends; Hermione would only be one more.
And secondly, more important than that, Hermione really didn't know how to dance even if
defeating Voldemort again depended on it.
Don't get her wrong, though; Hermione had danced once
before. Every single seventh year knew that and had been in her classes back
during the year of the Triwizard Cup --- her 'dancing partner' then was none other
than Durmstrang's Viktor Krum, considered by many to be the best Quidditch
Seeker of his time. Dance, they did; nobody particularly cared if they danced
well or not during the Yule Ball, anyway. But Hermione knew better --- dance
well, they didn't. No; she didn't.
Krum was quick on his feet and nimble, as was expected of him, but
Hermione…well, at least Krum was polite enough not to say anything to her about
her stepping on his toes a few times. It was quite enough for her not to try it
again.
If she had the choice…which, thanks to Draco and
Parvati, she didn't. The entire seventh year would be watching by now, now that
Parvati had probably already spread the news around the entire school. Since
this was the last year, Draco would certainly make sure that 'Mudblood' never
lived it down if she blew this chance --- he may not have had turned out to be
the Death Eater his father was, but he still had his ways.
Now that everyone knew this, though, nobody would be
expecting Hermione to be preparing for the Last Moments in the library, of all
places. And it was just as well, because she needed to think, and fast.
She had five days left.
* * *
A few corridors, stairs and secret rooms away, the
Gryffindor student known as Harry Potter was having the same problem.
But for him, to him…if he even knew Ron or Hermione or
anyone else had the same problem he did…it was a good deal worse. Like everyone
else, his final year exams were finished, and the only thing left to prepare
for was the Last Moments Dance. Everyone else was doing that, anyway; it would
be the last time the seventh years each other knew would get together and
actually had fun, and nobody was going to miss that. Neither was Harry. Knowing
the others, they'd expect him to at least show up, anyway. After all, what kind
of person would the Boy who Lived be if he wouldn't even show up for the last
dance of his Hogwarts years to have fun with his friends?
And although he won't openly show it like some others,
Harry wanted to go. That meant finding an appropriate dress robe, grooming
himself, finding a date. And learning how to dance. Fast. The first two were
easy and could be accomplished easily. As for finding a date…well…Harry failed
that one this time, too.
And subsequently the prospect of learning how to dance
completely caught Harry by surprise.
* * *
By the time his last examination
in Defence Against the Dark Arts class has been finished, Harry felt as if
every single weight in the world had been lifted from him. After all, why
shouldn't they be? Voldemort was finally defeated a month ago despite an
extremely difficult fight --- Harry was quite lucky Trelawney's predictions on
his demise the night before didn't prove true due to an unexpected star 'shift'
--- and his Death Eaters scattered, his examinations went well, and he had a
bright future ahead of him once he got out of Hogwarts.
And then there was
Graduation…and the Last Moments Dance the day before that.
Unlike Hermione, Harry already
had a clear idea of what he wanted to do to go to the dance. He had already
ordered and bought his dress robe from elsewhere. All that was left was for the
store to send it to him. He had already built up an idea of what he was going
to do at the Last Moments. And he had an idea of who he was going to ask to go
to the Last Moments with him. He had fantasized about every moment, every
sensation, every single detail until he was almost completely sure it would
happen since when, well, since after Voldemort had been defeated and when Harry
actually had the time.
He hoped he hadn't waited too
long.
But his
examinations were over nevertheless and Harry, walking freely along the streets
of Hogsmeade to relax himself, knew that pleasantly. As Harry walked along the
streets of the town's Eatery Sections, he mulled over the details of the Last
Moments and his own plans intently. In fact, he didn't stop doing that until he
near-unconsciously ran into someone and fell down in a heap, more surprised
than actually hurt.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Harry!"
Harry looked up from his reverie
and was confronted by the raven-haired, dark eyed beauty that was Cho Chang. She herself seemed
quite enthusiastic about something even though the formal robe she wore and the
briefcase in her left hand actually made Cho look a little more serious-minded; she was whistling to herself
before she bumped into Harry, and she seemed quite happy about something, as
well, looking down at Harry with curious and half-compassionate, half-playful
eyes and a wide, blinding smile. Harry tinged a small shade of red as he tried
to get up, all thoughts forgotten but his attraction to Cho.
Who could blame Harry? He had felt
attracted to Cho ever since they met on opposite Quidditch teams during his
third year --- Cho was a year older than he was then --- and had kept at this attraction
ever since, even after four years of going nowhere with her but having a crush,
even after she herself graduated from Hogwarts and obtained an
administration career somewhere in Hogsmeade. Cho was a beauty, yes, and smart, although one might
not see her that way at first glance, and she was definitely charming in her own ways. And she was the
person Harry wanted to go to the Last Moments with, before he lost that chance
perhaps forever --- even if he'd have to get special permission from Professor
Dumbledore to do so.
Remembering
that, Harry managed to slightly calm his nerves and gather up his voice. "Oh,
uh, hello there, Cho." Harry blurted out nervously in reply. "How, uh, are you
doing now? With your job, I mean."
Cho
didn't seem to mind Harry's nervousness, and chuckled slightly. "I'm doing
well, Harry. I'm on my lunch break now. Busy day, but I'm getting by."
"I
see."
Harry and Cho were silent for a
moment, and he blushed a bit more as he began again. "Cho…uh, there's something
I want to ask you."
Cho nodded. "Go ahead, Harry."
*Here goes,* Harry thought to
himself as he gathered his remaining courage and asked his question. It didn't
go the way he wanted to, though. "Do…do you plan on going to the Last Moments Dance?" Harry asked, and mentally
slapped himself for messing that up.
Cho seemed slightly hesitant
about the question and her head sank a bit, avoiding Harry's eyes and blushing
slightly. Harry caught the hesitation, but didn't say anything, and could only
guess what that was about. Even after three years, long as it may be, the
events of the Triwizard Cup had not left anybody,
although its impact had dulled by now, even more after Voldemort was destroyed.
Perhaps, Harry guessed, Cho still blamed Harry a bit for not being there for
Cedric Diggory when Voldemort rose again back then. Admittedly, Cho and Cedric were at least a bit close before
Wormtail killed him and, Harry could understand, perhaps at least a bit Cho was
still hurting over losing him.
And he couldn't blame her if
that's the case. But it wasn't, not really. "You want to ask me to go to the
Last Moments with you, right, Harry?" Cho asked softly.
Harry felt his body heat up and
was now almost a complete shade of red as he felt his hopes go up, although he
desperately tried to maintain his calm. Then Cho looked back up at him with a
smile that seemed more sympathetic than flattered, and Harry felt his hopes
slowly fade away. He sighed to himself.
Harry
felt his senses go numb and cursed himself for waiting too long. "O…Oh." Harry
could only blurt out. "I see." He wanted to know why Cho couldn't or wouldn't
go and ruin his last chance to be with her, but he knew that it'd be no use.
And besides, if there was one single lesson that Divination got through to him,
it was that what really must be, will be. Perhaps Cho just wasn't meant for
him.
Cho
gave Harry a wry, but assuring grin in reply. "Don't feel bad…it isn't about
you. I'm sure someone else would like to go with you to the Last Moments. After
all, who doesn't like you now, other than the Slytherins? You'll find someone,
don't worry."
Harry
nodded and was cheered up slightly by Cho's words, although Harry still felt
terrible. It had occurred to him then that Cho didn't see Harry's feelings for
her as anything too serious…and perhaps she was right, Harry realized. Maybe
what he felt for Cho really wasn't that serious. Hearing Cho refuse to go with
him still hurt Harry, but knowing that now he knows that he'll feel better in
time. "Thanks anyway, Cho. I'll still see you around, hopefully."
"Okay. Later then, Harry. I'll
see you around."
Cho gently brushed by Harry and
he was subsequently left there to stand by himself. *Now what?* Harry asked
himself. He had lost his chance with Cho, most likely for good, and he felt as
if all his most-likely-premature feelings for her had died with that chance.
What use was his dress robe and grooming when he doesn't even have a date to
wear it for? What use was going to the Last Moments anyway? But Harry knew that
answer --- his friends, and his first real chance to relax and have fun after
Voldemort's destruction. He can't, and won't skip out if his life depended on
it.
*Ah, well,* Harry cheered
himself up and his enthusiasm returned. *I guess I'll still have fun at the Last
Moments with or without Cho. And I'll definitely see Ron and Hermione there,
too! I wonder who they're going with…*
"Hey, Harry!"
Harry turned around to the sound
behind him and was greeted by an excited Ron Weasley. Harry grinned and waved
back, knowing that Ron was as excited about the Last Moments as Harry was…and
maybe even better prepared than he was. After all, Ron --- although Harry and
Hermione initially didn't approve of it--- had been going pretty steady with
Ravenclaw's Mandy Brocklehurst for a year or two now, and everyone was pretty
sure that Ron and Mandy would be going to the Last Moments Dance together. What
escaped most, though, was what Ron and Mandy actually liked about each other to
actually go steady for so long.
And now that Harry thought about
it, neither he nor Hermione really knew as well. All he knew was that he was
happy for his friend and didn't mind him having a girlfriend like Mandy if Ron
was happy with it. But where did that leave him and Hermione? "Ron! Good to see
you! Your exams over yet?" Harry asked back teasingly as Ron stood before him.
Ron grinned and glared playfully
at Harry. "I have the same classes you do!"
"Oh, really?" Harry asked, and
they both laughed cheerily. "I take it you're going to the Last Moments with
Mandy, right?" Harry asked once their laughter died down, already knowing the
answer to that. *And that leaves Hermione,* Harry subsequently thought. *I
wonder who's going to go with her? In fact, is she even prepared for the Last
Moments yet, what with how she was when examinations like that drew near?
Probably does, Hermione, so that leaves me without a date. Doesn't know it, but
the other boys actually like her a lot, too, if she would even talk to them.
Well, only as a friend---*
Harry was cut off from his
thoughts when Ron diverged from his discussion about how he and Mandy were
preparing for the Last Moments to ask a question of his own; "…sneak to
Hogsmeade for about an hour or two before coming back to sleep, since me and
Mandy like the nightlife there. Say, Harry…" Ron asked thoughtfully. "Mind
telling me who you're having as a date?"
Harry blinked, surprised.
"What-what do you mean?"
"You wouldn't believe the silent
talk that's been going around you now that the exams are over!" Ron exclaimed,
trying to keep his voice to a minimum. "Everyone, even that flake Draco, is
trying to guess who you're going to go to the Last Moments
with! After all, they know that you're going to be there, now they're thinking
about who you chose. Before everyone thought it'd be Cho, but she isn't going,
and everyone, although they won't show it, is kind of dying to see who your
date would be!"
Harry gasped and blinked in
disbelief. "By Gryffindor! You mean…you-you mean everyone's expecting me to have a date at the Last
Moments!?" Harry blurted out, and Ron, a bit embarrassed of himself, nodded.
"Yeah, Harry. I guess.
Basically."
Harry groaned silently; not only
did he miss a chance with Cho, it was getting worse than he thought. Now
everyone was looking to see him have one! And Harry didn't have to think of
what the other seventh years would say about him if he didn't have one.
Especially Draco and the Slytherins --- although whether true or not is yet to
be seen, but almost all of the Slytherins boasted about having someone to go to
the Last Moments with already. At least, that's what Harry himself heard. Even
Draco Malfoy has some Slytherin girl with him, and this Harry knew to be true;
He'd caught them but once in Hogsmeade lounging away during their sixth year,
but it was enough.
"I don't have one yet." Harry
honestly replied.
Although Ron was trying only to
be helpful, his next words seemed to tell Harry something else; That led to his
problem. Ron nodded understandingly. "Sorry. Well, don't worry, Harry. You
don't have to have one now --- you can always choose someone to dance with
who's free when the Last Moments had started."
Harry blinked in disbelief, as
if waking from a dream. *D-dance!?* Harry asked himself, not wishing to make
himself look more clueless than he already is, his thoughts circling wildly. He
couldn't dance if he didn't have someone to prepare with. Harry never really
wholeheartedly danced with a girl before, and didn't really know how to --- in
fact, Harry didn't know how to dance, period! It was as if Voldemort himself
was placed on Harry's back again, although the Dark Lord was dead as a board;
Thanks to, well, someone anyway, all of the Hogwarts seventh year class is now
not only expecting him to have a date for the Last Moments, but also to dance
there! And dance *well!*
After all, they had seen Harry
get by nearly everything, even near-death. They saw him get by *Voldemort,* for
crying out loud. Would they really expect any less from him now? "Um,
yes…d-dance. Yes, I will. I'll dance…dance. With a girl, I mean." Harry
answered silently, at nearly a complete loss of words. "…There."
Ron waved his hands in front of
Harry and looked at him quizzically, as if Harry had suddenly been petrified.
"Yes, I, uh, guess. Hey, Harry? Are you sure you'll be all right? Now, I mean?"
Harry blankly nodded, trying to
recover. "Y…yes. I'll be fine, Ron. Really." It wasn't true by any means, Harry
knew only too well. But he had to make the best of it now.
He didn't have a choice anymore.
* * *
And so here he was, thinking hard for three days now
about how he would learn to dance good in a mere five days.
And Harry was still stuck in a dead end.
Somehow Harry got the crazy idea that if he had tackled
the problem of knowing how to dance first, he'd solve the second problem of
finding a date along with it, but that didn't help too much, either --- perhaps
thinking logically like Professor McGonagall would might help, though. Harry decided to give it a try anyway.
He knew that skilled dancing wasn't something even a
Great Wizard would be able to grasp in a matter of days, and there was nearly
nowhere on Hogwarts that Harry would even be able to get the learning
information he needed. He couldn't talk to any of the students because that'll
tell everyone that he couldn't. Even if Harry got by the Last Moments without
it, the Slytherins would never let him live that down, especially since this was
the last dance he would be in during his school days. And he seriously doubted
that Hagrid could dance, either. And none of the magical tomes in the Library
would give him any---
Harry paused, something striking a chord, and began
tracing back to his own thoughts to find out what. He needed to know how to
dance and get a date. He can't ask anybody to teach him to dance. Nowhere in
Hogwarts and no magical tome could also…
Magic!
He suddenly gained insight and chuckled out loud at his
own stupidity. He had found his solution, Harry realised, and it was all right
in front of him, and in his haste and desperation to fix everything he had
forgotten that he was still a wizard! Harry didn't have to learn how to dance,
per se; But he did know how to do magic, and he could simply use it to help
him. After all, this was Hogwarts, and although this didn't seem at all like a good
sport, what choice did he really have?
He remembered vividly that Sirius, his godfather, had
told him once during the Triwizard Cup to use what he's best at in a problem
situation. Harry felt as if the weight had been lightened slightly --- magic he
knew how to do, and well. Harry had an idea what he had to do now. All that
remained was to actually make that happen.
* * *
Expecting the Hogwarts Library to be empty after the
final examinations, Harry was quite surprised to see Hermione there, pouring
over books at one of the tables, as he walked in silently. He was praying for
the silence and isolation; what he was about to do was sensitive and he was
fervently hoping that one of the school ghosts wouldn't catch him there. But at the same time he didn't think that
even Hermione would be in there! As he slowly walked in more, Harry had to
constantly remind himself that this was nothing to be surprised about Hermione.
Probably here to read some more before
she lost the chance, Harry thought. Maybe
she'll leave me alone.
What he didn't know was that Hermione was equally
surprised; without another thought, Hermione quickly closed her books over some
notes, hoping to cover up whatever she was doing. Finally seeing that it was
Harry didn't help any. Holding back the urge to sweat a little, Hermione hoped
that Harry would go away without noticing what she was doing, and felt even
more afraid when he walked closer, looking at her inquiringly. Stay calm, Hermione frantically told
herself. It's Harry. He won't ask. Even
if he finds out, he won't tell anyone if I asked him not to. Don't worry.
Harry and Hermione merely stared at each other,
dumbfounded.
"What're you doing here, Harry?" Hermione asked quickly,
deciding to strike the first hit and doing her best not to sound conspicuous.
"The exams are over, shouldn't you be getting ready for the Last Moments?"
Harry seemed to hesitate slightly and managed to
respond, but he was less sanguine than Hermione. He fervently hoped he could
discourage Hermione from asking him any more questions before he lost his calm.
"Uh, yes, I'm here to, um, read." Harry answered, his voice slightly quivering.
"Needed to take a rest for awhile, so, um, I thought the Library might be a
good place to quiet down for a bit. What about you? Are you reading here, too?"
"Y...yes, I am. Last chance, you know. Might as well
make the best of it." Hermione nodded, half between trying frantically to stay
calm and praying that Harry would just leave her alone.
And then, they were stuck, Harry and Hermione looking at
each other with feigned calm, Harry hoping for Hermione to turn back to her
books, Hermione waiting for Harry to move. Neither dared speak. Eventually both
Harry and Hermione looked away from each other momentarily, trying to think of
something to break the standstill.
Then a plausible, yet seemingly farfetched thought
struck them both at the same time.
"Harry..."
"Um, Hermione?"
There was a slight pause and then, with determined,
risking looks in their eyes, Harry and Hermione quickly turned their heads
towards each other, deciding to risk revealing their problems with a simple,
yet perfectly timed question:
"Do you know how
to enchant a pair of dancing shoes?"
* * *