The boys were lusting after us as we pushed our way through the large crowd. We were at some muggle night club called Galaxy; it looked pretty popular, judging from the throng of people outside, but we ran into a little trouble at the entrance.
"Are you all eighteen?" The bouncer asked us skeptically. Of course, I thought, annoyed. The legal age for muggles is eighteen, not seventeen.
"Do I look eighteen?" I asked him. I let his beady eyes roam my body for a second, only so he'd let us into the club.
"Go on in, ladies." The man grinned at us and lifted the velvet rope that was blocking our path.
"Thanks," I said, winking. When I turned back, I saw the boys scowling at me. "Oh. They're with us."
The bouncer let them in and Sirius immediately flew to my side. "What the hell did you do that for?"
"What?" I said, surprised. "I got him to let you in, didn't I?"
"Yes, but you didn't have to let him look at you like that," he muttered angrily. That's what he was mad about?
"What are you, my father?" I joked, pulling him through the thickening crowd. He didn't get to answer because suddenly, our eardrums were flooded with the sound of thumping music. I couldn't hear anything except for the beat coming from the speakers at the far end of the room.
The place was really cool; like the name, it stuck with the outer space theme. The ceiling was black velvet with thousands of twinkling lights to look like stars. There were flashing beams coming from every corner of the room, shooting dozens of colors out onto the dance floor. These muggles sure knew how to throw a party.
The seven of us were standing by the bar, looking around in amazement. "I want to dance," I shouted to my friends.
"What?" Lily yelled back.
"I want to dance!" I gestured towards the bodies moving to the beat in the middle of the room. Lily nodded and did something so unbelieveable, I had to do a double take: she grabbed James's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. I guess my little pep-talk worked, because James had his arms around her, showing her how to move. Lo, following suit, led Remus over to where our friends were dancing. Since there was no way in hell I would dance with Black, I sauntered onto the dance floor alone, looking for an unsuspecting guy I could have some fun with. Good, clean fun, of course.
"Hey," said a voice, very close to my ear. I looked round at a guy who was probably a few years older than me. He had disheveled brown hair that fell into his brown eyes, and he was smiling at me sweetly.
"Hello," I said grabbing his hand. "Wanna dance?" It was time to get my flirt on, for the first time in forever. At least I didn't know this guy; I wouldn't have to deal with him when I went back to school. I couldn't disappoint him, because he didn't know anything about me. And I was going to keep it that way.
"So what's your name, gorgeous?" he asked, winking at me.
I shrugged. "I can be whoever you want me to be," I told him, swaying my hips. "I can be Lisa, or Mary, or Amy." I smiled innocently at him. "Take your pick."
The boy was about to answer when someone pushed him out of the way. Apparently, Sirius was intent on being my chaperone for the night.
"May I cut in?" Black asked rudely. "Great," he said before the guy could answer. "Get lost, arsehole."
"Sirius!" I yelled, partly out of anger, and partly so he could hear me over the pounding music. "What is your problem?"
"I don't have a problem," he shouted, looking ashamed. "Just, er, don't dance with him. C'mon, I'll get you a drink."
I followed him off of the dance floor and over to the bar. Sirius ordered two drinks, most likely alcoholic, and sat on a stool. I guess his murderous expression stopped the bartender from asking whether we were of age, because he handed us the drinks with no problem.
I ignored Sirius, turning away from him to look at the small stage across the room. People were setting up some kind of machine along with a couple of...what were those things called again? Oh, microphones!
Several boys came over to me as Sirius and I sat there silently. I tried to smile at them encouragingly, but with a glare from that git, the guys backed off, staring wistfully at my short skirt.
"You are seriously starting to piss me off, Black," I growled at him.
"You actually want to dance with those guys?" he scoffed.
"Yes, I do! You are such a hypocrite," I yelled. "You're always flirting with girls and trying to shag them senseless, but when I try to dance with a guy, it's as if I've committed a crime!"
"Well, you just – I mean, there's no point in...they don't know – "
"You have no reason why I can't dance with those boys," I told him matter-of-factly. "You are not my father, and you are definitely not my boyfriend. I can do whatever I want." I hopped off the stool and re-entered the bustling crowd.
Right away, I found a cute boy and started to dance with him in front of Sirius. If I was being honest with myself, I was hoping to get a rise out of him.
You want to make him jealous.
Ah, it was the voice. Please go away, I thought angrily,I just want to enjoy myself tonight.
When the song ended, I waved at the guy cheerfully and strolled over to my friends. Sirius had gotten up a while ago, annoyed by my little display at the bar, and he was now chatting up a leggy blonde girl.
Rolling my eyes, I wandered over to Lily, Lo, Remus, James, and Peter, who were all watching the stage curiously.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"It's couples' night!" Lily squealed excitedly.
That didn't sound appealing in the slightest. "Couples' night?" I repeated scathingly. "What in Merlin's saggy left – "
"Oh, quiet down, Letta." Willow shushed me with a blink of her sapphire eyes. "Tell us about it!"
Lily clasped her hands together and smiled. "The club owner hosts a couples' night once a month. Everyone comes in with their significant other and participates in at least one slow song."
"A slow song?" I seemed to have lost the ability to think on my own; everything Lily said was so ludicrous, it had to be repeated once or twice. "A slow song?"
"Yes, Letta," she said, glaring over at me. "Stop being so negative – it's fun."
That didn't sound like fun to me; in fact, it sounded torturous. Bumping and grinding I could do, but slow dancing? Not a chance.
"What if you don't have a 'significant other'?" Sirius cut in.
"The man on stage will pair you up with someone!" Lily responded, pointing.
A man with a long red beard was holding a microphone and smiling at the crowd below the stage.
"Can't I just find someone on my own?" Sirius whined. Lily's response was interrupted by the man's voice booming over the speakers.
"Alright ladies and gents! Are you ready to shake your tail feathers?!"
The muggles cheered violently as a spotlight beamed down from the ceiling, searching the cluster of people.
"The song we will be dancing to I called 'Half of my Heart' by John Mayer, featuring the lovely Taylor Swift!" More cheers from the crowd echoed around the nightclub. "Now, I need all of you lovely folks to do me a favor," he continued. "If you are in need of a partner for this next dance, come on over to the left side of the room!"
I glanced discreetly at Sirius, who was scowling at the floor, and followed the crowd. Before I could take more than a few steps, a hand closed around my wrist.
It was Sirius, looking more uncomfortable than I'd ever thought possible. "Be my partner," he said quickly, but the tone of his voice was urgent – a tone I didn't like.
"Your chivalry is hard to resist," I told him, sarcasm dripping from my words, "but I'd rather eat my own arm."
"Letta." It came out as a sigh, soft and breathy. "For once, just…listen to me."
I squinted through the colorful flashes of light, trying to pick out a handsome face to dance with. Forget it, girl, said the untimely voice in my head. He's already scared them off.
"Fine." My voice sounded sullen, like a child's. I tried to preserve some of my dignity by lifting my chin and grabbing his hand. "But not because you asked me to – I do what I please." I probably shouldn't have said that, as he might have gotten the wrong impression. I didn't want to be his partner…he just looked so defeated, an expression that haunted me whenever he wore it.
I led him toward the middle of the dance floor, ignoring Lily's smug little grin. We waited in easy silence as the bearded man sorted through the Muggles and paired them up. Shrieks of happiness and despair echoed around the room, I couldn't tell which, as girls discovered who they would be dancing with. Finally, the gentle beat of a drum began to pulsate around us, threading a soft melody between the bodies of each couple.
Couple. Just the word sent shivers of disgust creeping down my spine. Fortunately, I didn't have time to dwell on that; Sirius's hand was already on the small of my back, drawing me into him. I pursed my lips to avoid snapping at him – he was my partner, after all – until suddenly, we were moving. I stepped with him, trying to keep up, but found myself being swept across the floor, almost as if I were floating.
Damn, he was pretty good. His pace was smooth and clean; it pulled me into the song effortlessly. Without thinking, I rested my head on his shoulder, avoiding his curious silver gaze and trying to calm my racing heart. I didn't normally get nervous – in fact, it was a foreign emotion to me. But the lyrics of the song were weighing on my mind, a reminder of all that I'd been feeling lately. And how much it bothered me to admit it.
I peered up at Sirius carefully as the chorus surged through the speakers. His face was brightening a bit as the song went on and he adjusted to my close proximity. This was obviously new for us; we were taking it slow, testing the waters. I saw his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed.
Was he nervous, too? I didn't even think that was possible. But when he grabbed my hand and spun me around to the music, all of those worrying thoughts flew out of my mind. I laughed into his chest as the music swelled again:
I was made to believe I'd never love somebody else. I made a plan, stay the man who could only love himself.
A curious look came over Sirius's face then, as if he were thinking hard about the lyrics, too.
Lonely was the song I sang, till the day you came.
This song brought something out in me, something that felt foreign and strange. We swayed together, forgetting about the surrounding crowd, and I felt like my heart was flying. As the melody played out, Sirius twirled me again, grinning. I laughed louder and moved closer to him, feeling the beat from the top of my head to the bottom of my dusty soul.
He looked into my eyes as the song faded out.
But I can't stop loving you…with half of my heart."
I felt a rush as everyone cheered, whistled and clapped, but I was also...slightly dizzy. And I was way too nervous to look back at Sirius's expression. I quickly dropped my hands to my sides and muttered a garbled goodbye. When I spotted Lily and Lo waiting with the other boys, I gestured toward them mutely. Sirius followed me over, eyebrows furrowing.
It felt like the air around me was charged with an electricity so intense, I wouldn't be able to look at Sirius for a week. But I did. I did look at him. He was surrounded by James, Remus and Peter, plus a dozen girls, but he was staring at me.
Unable to think of anything else to do, I waved lamely. He grinned and waved back. Everything was alright. We were alright.