Chapter 15: Pre-Ball Nerves
When Harry, Ron and Marcus finally made it back to the Gryffindor common room, it was nearly six o'clock, leaving them two hours to get ready. They walked briskly up to the dorm room, where on Harry and Marcus's beds there were gifts from Sirius. Harry received a book of spells to help with his dancing, (he was known to be less than confident in the area) and Marcus also got a set of spells, most of which were to be used to create magical versions of electrical instruments (specifically guitar, bass and keyboards) as well as spells to conjure bands from the Muggle world. Harry read the card.
"To Harry and Marcus,
Sorry it's not very original, but it's hard to find gifts when you're a dog... Harry, I know you don't like dancing too much, so this is just a little helping hand... Marcus, ask Hermionie why I sent you these...
I hope you all enjoy tonight, and write me soon to tell me about it... (I won't be there for obvious reasons)... Keep out of trouble,
Your friend,
Black Dog"
Padfoot's got good taste in gifts, Ron noticed...
"Why did he send you a set of spells about guitars and music Marcus?" He asked, confused.
"It says ask Hermionie, so that's what I'll have to do..." Marcus tried to look confused as well.
Harry was already studying the dance spells...
"Thank heavens for this... Now I don't have to make up loads of excuses not to dance!" He said, obviously pleased...
They spent the next forty minutes getting ready, and trying to relax... Finally they went downstairs to wait in the common room, but were sure they had forgotten something in their nervousness...
After another half an hour (And numerous jokes about how women take so long to get ready) the girls began to flow down from their dorm. At last Hermionie appeared. The three guys almost fell over backwards when they saw her... She had put her hair up into a bun on the back of her head, and was wearing a beautiful blue dress which suited her perfectly. She walked elegantly to where the guys were standing with their jaws on the floor...
"Well good evening..." She said in a slightly more posh tone than usual.
"Hermionie... Wow! You look amazing!" Marcus managed to string the first sentence together.
"Thank you, you all look very handsome as well..." She said, checking out the guys in their black tuxedos...
"I think I have something for you..." Marcus 'remembered', and turned, conjured a white rose, and gave it to her... The look on her face was priceless, she smiled so sweetly as she pinned the rose to the strap of her dress.
"Where did the dress come from?" Harry asked.
"The great Black Dog." She said... "He has excellent taste."
"And obviously wads of cash" Ron added, judging by the fact that the dress looked like it cost an arm and a leg, and his new broom probably cost more than that...
"Shall we go?" Harry asked, eager to see Cho.
"In a minute, Marcus has to pick up his guitar..." Hermionie replied, looking sweetly at Marcus, who looked back, shocked... He forced a smile...
"Guitar?" Asked Harry and Ron in almost the same voice.
"Herm... I told you, I don't play for people, just me..." Marcus said nervously, hoping it was just a joke on Hermionie's part...
"Marcus, I asked Dumbledore especially... He seems to have a love of music of all types, and he thinks you're very talented..."
"Okay, Dumbledore's never heard me sing, how could he know how good I am?"
"Harry's not the only one with an invisibility cloak..." She said, with her sweet smile turning to one of deviousness... Harry and Ron spoke up...
"Marcus, it'll be so cool to have live music, especially if you're playing it..."
"Come on, it'll be fun..."
Hermionie decided the argument was won... "Give the people what they want Marcus... You can use some of those spells Black Dog sent you..." (Evidently this had been her plan all along)
"Fine, give me a minute to fetch them..." He walked off, starting to smile when he realised the freedom he had just been given...
A couple of minutes later he returned with the spells and guitar, and they set off towards the Ravenclaw common room, where Harry had agreed to meet Cho... **She looks beautiful** thought Harry as he rounded the corner and saw Cho in her black dress. He conjured a red rose behind his back, and as he approached her, he held it out, putting on a posh voice...
"My lady..."
Cho played along... "Good sir..." They laughed...
"You look like a vision..." Harry tried to be poetic.
"You look great too..." Cho said, taking the rose, and pinning it to her dress as Hermionie had done. She noticed the others, especially Ron, who was looking around, a bit despondent, and slightly board. "Did no-one ask him?" She whispered to Harry...
"Oh, people asked him, he just said no. He says if he can't go with the person he really wants to go with, then he'll go alone." Harry responded.
"Hey Ron," Cho said... Ron looked round... "Save me a dance, okay?" Ron nodded, slightly taken aback by Cho's request... She turned back to Harry and linked arms with him. "That should make him feel a bit better..."
They walked to the hall, Marcus mentally preparing himself, and wondering what songs to play... Hermionie and Cho giggling frequently as they whispered to each other, and Ron and Harry doing their best to look like upstanding English gentlemen...
When Harry, Ron and Marcus finally made it back to the Gryffindor common room, it was nearly six o'clock, leaving them two hours to get ready. They walked briskly up to the dorm room, where on Harry and Marcus's beds there were gifts from Sirius. Harry received a book of spells to help with his dancing, (he was known to be less than confident in the area) and Marcus also got a set of spells, most of which were to be used to create magical versions of electrical instruments (specifically guitar, bass and keyboards) as well as spells to conjure bands from the Muggle world. Harry read the card.
"To Harry and Marcus,
Sorry it's not very original, but it's hard to find gifts when you're a dog... Harry, I know you don't like dancing too much, so this is just a little helping hand... Marcus, ask Hermionie why I sent you these...
I hope you all enjoy tonight, and write me soon to tell me about it... (I won't be there for obvious reasons)... Keep out of trouble,
Your friend,
Black Dog"
Padfoot's got good taste in gifts, Ron noticed...
"Why did he send you a set of spells about guitars and music Marcus?" He asked, confused.
"It says ask Hermionie, so that's what I'll have to do..." Marcus tried to look confused as well.
Harry was already studying the dance spells...
"Thank heavens for this... Now I don't have to make up loads of excuses not to dance!" He said, obviously pleased...
They spent the next forty minutes getting ready, and trying to relax... Finally they went downstairs to wait in the common room, but were sure they had forgotten something in their nervousness...
After another half an hour (And numerous jokes about how women take so long to get ready) the girls began to flow down from their dorm. At last Hermionie appeared. The three guys almost fell over backwards when they saw her... She had put her hair up into a bun on the back of her head, and was wearing a beautiful blue dress which suited her perfectly. She walked elegantly to where the guys were standing with their jaws on the floor...
"Well good evening..." She said in a slightly more posh tone than usual.
"Hermionie... Wow! You look amazing!" Marcus managed to string the first sentence together.
"Thank you, you all look very handsome as well..." She said, checking out the guys in their black tuxedos...
"I think I have something for you..." Marcus 'remembered', and turned, conjured a white rose, and gave it to her... The look on her face was priceless, she smiled so sweetly as she pinned the rose to the strap of her dress.
"Where did the dress come from?" Harry asked.
"The great Black Dog." She said... "He has excellent taste."
"And obviously wads of cash" Ron added, judging by the fact that the dress looked like it cost an arm and a leg, and his new broom probably cost more than that...
"Shall we go?" Harry asked, eager to see Cho.
"In a minute, Marcus has to pick up his guitar..." Hermionie replied, looking sweetly at Marcus, who looked back, shocked... He forced a smile...
"Guitar?" Asked Harry and Ron in almost the same voice.
"Herm... I told you, I don't play for people, just me..." Marcus said nervously, hoping it was just a joke on Hermionie's part...
"Marcus, I asked Dumbledore especially... He seems to have a love of music of all types, and he thinks you're very talented..."
"Okay, Dumbledore's never heard me sing, how could he know how good I am?"
"Harry's not the only one with an invisibility cloak..." She said, with her sweet smile turning to one of deviousness... Harry and Ron spoke up...
"Marcus, it'll be so cool to have live music, especially if you're playing it..."
"Come on, it'll be fun..."
Hermionie decided the argument was won... "Give the people what they want Marcus... You can use some of those spells Black Dog sent you..." (Evidently this had been her plan all along)
"Fine, give me a minute to fetch them..." He walked off, starting to smile when he realised the freedom he had just been given...
A couple of minutes later he returned with the spells and guitar, and they set off towards the Ravenclaw common room, where Harry had agreed to meet Cho... **She looks beautiful** thought Harry as he rounded the corner and saw Cho in her black dress. He conjured a red rose behind his back, and as he approached her, he held it out, putting on a posh voice...
"My lady..."
Cho played along... "Good sir..." They laughed...
"You look like a vision..." Harry tried to be poetic.
"You look great too..." Cho said, taking the rose, and pinning it to her dress as Hermionie had done. She noticed the others, especially Ron, who was looking around, a bit despondent, and slightly board. "Did no-one ask him?" She whispered to Harry...
"Oh, people asked him, he just said no. He says if he can't go with the person he really wants to go with, then he'll go alone." Harry responded.
"Hey Ron," Cho said... Ron looked round... "Save me a dance, okay?" Ron nodded, slightly taken aback by Cho's request... She turned back to Harry and linked arms with him. "That should make him feel a bit better..."
They walked to the hall, Marcus mentally preparing himself, and wondering what songs to play... Hermionie and Cho giggling frequently as they whispered to each other, and Ron and Harry doing their best to look like upstanding English gentlemen...
