Chapter Five
The Dance
It was Saturday already, and the Great Hall could easily be mistaken for a night club. Spinning, multi-colored lights flashed from every corner. A giant disco ball on the starry ceiling threw spinning spots of light over the fogged floor. Huge stacks of speakers dwarfed a turn table between them, where the teachers would normally be. A DJ appeared from the front entrance, carrying a huge pile of records and CD's.
"Oh no," whispered Llewellyn as the DJ passed them.
"What?" asked Hermione.
"That's Visilio!" replied Llewellyn, pointing at his back.
There were two squeals of laughter behind them. Lavender and Parvati were hanging on to Seamus's and Dean's arms, as if they would run away the second one of the girls let go. Judging by their faces, this was the boys' plan.
"Matt is going to be playing our music?" tittered Parvati.
"Matt is so cute!" squealed Lavender.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Oh, excuse me," snapped Parvati. She unhooked herself from Dean and put her hands on her hips. "I should call him Professor Visilio, shouldn't I?" she continued, dripping with sarcasm.
"Yeah, or else the prefect is gonna get us in trouble,"added Lavender.
Dean and Seamus saw their chance, and scurried over to the refreshments table.
"Come on, Hermione, we don't need to listen to this trash," proclaimed Llewellyn. She grabbed her wrist and moved out of the doorway. Harry and Ron followed, leaving Lavender and Parvati nothing to do but look on with disgust.
"Wonder what kind of stuff Visilio's gonna play tonight," commented Ron. He popped an Every-Flavor Bean into the air and caught it with his mouth.
No one ever knew afterwards why Ron had suddenly fell to his knees. It could have been a dirt- or grasshopper-flavored bean. Or, it could have been the blast of sound suddenly issuing from the speakers that brought nearly everyone else to the floor. It was something loud, screaming, heavy; distinctly an American sound. Llewellyn shouted the lyrics out as the rest of the students kept staring at each other.
The next song was a popular summer one by Celestina Warbeck that most students knew already. A general chatter broke out in the Hall as more people started moving to the more familiar music. The next ones were also well-known, and the dance started to heat up.
Visilio was in his element as he mixed and remixed the songs into the heartbeat of the dance. He was almost more fun to watch than to listen to the music. Grinning the whole time, he spun records on his finger, foot, and finally his nose, as a grand finale to the students who watched him.
The dance passed without any real incident until the first slow song. "Ladies' choice," announced Visilio into a microphone. Llewellyn grinned at Harry, and he couldn't help but smile back. They bended back and foward rather stiffly in time to the music, like Ron and Hermione beside them.
Harry looked out over the rest of the floor. There was Seamus and Lavender, Dean and Parvati, Neville and Ginny, and a few other familiar couples. Harry recognized them from the Yule Ball. The rest of the school hung around, uneasy, at the edges of the Great Hall. A few of them partnered up and joined the rest of the couples. Harry didn't see Cho anywhere.
A couple moved away, and Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson came into view. To see the two dancing together was a sickening sight. Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent Bulstrode lingered in the shadows behind the two.
They turned, and a blue light hit Malfoy's face. Harry noticed he looked a little sick himself, and held distance between himself and Pansy. Malfoy caught Harry's look, saw him with Llewellyn, and Harry almost saw him grimace. Harry turned away and pulled the tiniest bit closer to Llewellyn.
The song ended, and another bass-heavy, thumping kind of tune came on. The couples pulled apart as the crowd standing on the edges faded back into the middle of the hall.
"Thank you kindly, ma'am," said Ron to Hermione, in a stupid cowboy kind of voice.
"This town ain't big enough for the two of us!" replied Harry, beaming.
"What's going on up by the turn table?" asked Llewellyn. She pointed to a crowd standing around a person she couldn't see clearly.
They made their way up to the knot of people. Colin Creevey was moving very erractically, almost jerkily, as he spun in a circle on his knees. He finished with almost a split, and the crowd cheered as Colin stood up. Shirley Malfoy appeared out of no where and stood on her hands. She went up and down like a fish a couple of times, with even more applaud from the crowd.
"What in the world are they doing?" asked Ron, bewildered.
"Break dancing, what do you think?" replied Llewellyn.
Colin was not to be outdone. He grabbed the back of his head and his shin, and hopped up and down on his right foot while bringing his leg and head closer. The crowd yelled for a contest. Shirley went right through to a kneel, and she sent her legs flying around her in a circle as she jumped over them with her hands. It was quite an awesome sight.
Colin was just about to reply with another move when McGonagall appeared. "Malfoy! Creevey! What do you think you're doing?" she clamored.
"Aw, come on, Professor, we were just having some fun," replied Shirley exasperatedly.
"That's enough from you, young lady," warned McGonagall. There were a few "Ooh"'s from the throng.
Shirley frowned and stuck out her tongue.
"Ten points from Slytherin!" shrieked McGonagall. "And I better not catch you making any more rude faces at any other professors, or else it'll be fifty!"
McGonagall stormed out of the hall, students parting before her like she was a miracle worker.
The crowd filled in the hole left by the two break dancers as a quieter song played. Harry heard Shirley say "What's eating her robes?" before she disappeared into her group of friends.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Llewellyn spent the next few songs hanging out on the left wall, watching the rest of the school. It was only after the next slow song, which Harry and Llewellyn decided to sit out of, that things started to really get interesting.
"You're such a little kid!" came the scream of Pansy across the whole Hall.
"Look who's talking, you brat!" replied Malfoy angrily.
Even the music seemed to get quieter as more and more people piped down to watch Malfoy and Pansy's row. After they had been shouting at each other for what seemed like half and hour, Malfoy just stopped in mid- sentence, closed his mouth determinably, and left the Hall.
Visilio gave the hall a moment of silence, and looked at his watch. "Last dance of the night, fellas," he announced, breaking the silence of the whole hall.
"Llewellyn?" asked Harry.
She seemed preoccupied. "One second, Harry," she announced, peering out of the front entrance.
He looked back at Hermione and Ron. They shrugged. Llewellyn returned, gave Harry a quick smile, and came together for the last dance.
"This is my favorite song," whispered Llewellyn.
"What is it?" asked Harry.
"'Enchanted by Moonlight', by Mora Jones," she answered. "It's her debut, and I'm already hankering to buy the CD." Harry nodded, closing his eyes. Llewellyn, not sensing a real response, added, "What do you think of it?"
"It's nice," murmured Harry.
They swayed, a little bit more freely than the first dance now they were warmed up. About three quarters of the song passed.
"What do you think of Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"Draco or Shirley?"
"Draco."
She paused for a moment. "He has nowhere to vent his feelings of frustration, so he places them in the form of slanderous messages to his school mates."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's obvious he's getting mentally abused by his parents' tyrannical power. Same thing with Shirley."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I feel sorry for him."
"Sorry for Malfoy?" He asked it in a harsh, demanding kind of way.
At this Llewellyn stepped away from him. "Come on, Harry, the guy just broke up with his girlfriend."
"He's been nasty way before tonight, Llewellyn. You just don't understand."
"I don't understand? I don't understand? You're the one who can't understand what kind of a position he's in. Malfoy needs some real help."
"And you're the one who understands what kind of a position he's in?"
Llewellyn's eyes flashed with anger, but tears soon started welling up. She tried forming words, but they just wouldn't come out. Finally, she just threw her hands down in frustration and ran crying out of the Great Hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other than the bass of the song a world away, there was absolute silence in the dark halls where Llewellyn walked. She followed shadows and quiet footprints, finally coming to a section behind a swinging tapestry she was sure was not used often.
It was a tiny, dusty passageway leading to an open door some four feet above the ground. Moonlight poured silver on the floor as a slight breeze moved the still air. She moved without a single sound revealing her presence.
There was Malfoy, leaning on the wrought iron railing of the old balcony he was standing on. His back was hunched and his arms were crossed as he shook with a suppressed sob. Llewellyn stepped out onto the balcony.
"Hey there, Draco," she called gently.
He jumped and spun around, wiping away tears he hoped she hadn't seen glinting in the moonlight.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. Malfoy looked closer. "Llewellyn!" he commented, surprised. They looked at each other for a few seconds of silence.
"Sorry about you and Pansy," said Llewellyn.
"Oh, her." He waved his hand as if to brush off the thought. "It's not that important."
"I heard you've been going out for two years?"
"I can get over her." Malfoy turned back to the railing and the pearly light of the crescent moon. He hung his head for a moment, and turned back to Llewellyn.
"How are you and Potter doing?"
"Well, not so great, but..." She trailed off. "Okay, for the moment."
"So I take it you didn't have a boyfriend or anything back in the States."
"No one." She smiled. "But I did have a lot of crushes."
She moved up to the railing alongside him. "It's a pretty night tonight."
"Yeah," he replied. "It's not going to be like this for very much longer."
They looked at the stars in more silence. Finally, Llewellyn took a chance.
"You don't act like this around other people."
He looked grimly down into the lake for a full minute before replying.
"My father's involved in the Dark Arts." He shook his head. "My whole family is a great big bunch of crooks and rotten people. And I hate it!"
He slammed his fist into his other hand.
Llewellyn patted him on the back consolingly.
"And I always have to act like we're the best. I don't want to. I can't do kind or courageous things like Potter. I can't be smart like Granger. I can't be dependable like Weasley. So, all I have left to be best in is to...to walk over everyone else." He looked at Llewellyn sadly. "I don't want to do it any more."
She nodded.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" continued Malfoy.
Llewellyn sighed. "Harry and I just had a little fight. Nothing, really. But I wanted to come out here to talk to you."
"Why?" He looked at her. "No one else in this school ever wants to talk to me, except maybe those two dimwits Vince and Greg."
"That's because you don't let them," replied Llewellyn.
"So, you're here as a kind of guidance counselor, right?"
She laughed. "Draco, listen, I know you feel weird at informal things like this, when everyone wears Muggle clothes and you're left with your wizard robes. Same thing with me."
He suddenly noticed that she was in her old white robes. "You're not saying you come from an old, crummy, wizarding family?"
She nodded at his surprised expression. "I've been living at Columbia since I was four. My folks are happy with receiving a good report card at the end of the school year and an occasional letter or two."
"You're at school during summer, too?"
"Right."
He looked at her closely.
"I still can't believe someone actually giving a damn about my feelings after fifteen years. Why are you?"
She returned his look.
"Because you're the first to care about mine."
They looked at each other for a long time. Suddenly, it seemed to dawn on them that they were nearly nose to nose. Llewellyn stepped back and looked down.
"Draco, I can't do this. I'm...I'm still with Harry."
He nodded, and did not ask why when she ran back inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was past midnight before Llewellyn slipped back into the Gryffindor common room. There were a few stragglers from the party crashed in the armchairs by the dying fire. She yawned and started up the spiral staircase into her dark dorm.
"There you are!" A light sprang up in Hermione's lamp.
Llewellyn jumped. There was Hermione, looking very anxious and worried, sitting on the end of her bed.
"What are you doing up?" asked Llewellyn.
"Waiting for you, what do you think?" replied Hermione, grinning. The smile faded. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Llewellyn sat down. "How's Harry?"
Hermione shrugged. "He looked pretty flustered after you left. He thinks...you ran after Malfoy."
"Oh...." Llewellyn went to add something, but decided against it.
"Where have you been for the past hour, anyway?"
"Just milling around the school. Thinking."
It brought a big wave of acid to her stomach to lie to Hermione. She let it slide.
"Thinking about what?"
"Er...." She looked around the dimly lit dormitory. "Life."
"Do you want someone else to talk to?"
"No, thanks, I already have -" She stopped herself and thought quickly. "I already have got it pretty much sorted out."
"You've got your life sorted out?"
"Yeah."
"Sure?"
"Yeah. Listen, can we just get some shut eye already?"
The last thing Llewellyn saw before the light went out was Hermione's bewildered expression.
The Dance
It was Saturday already, and the Great Hall could easily be mistaken for a night club. Spinning, multi-colored lights flashed from every corner. A giant disco ball on the starry ceiling threw spinning spots of light over the fogged floor. Huge stacks of speakers dwarfed a turn table between them, where the teachers would normally be. A DJ appeared from the front entrance, carrying a huge pile of records and CD's.
"Oh no," whispered Llewellyn as the DJ passed them.
"What?" asked Hermione.
"That's Visilio!" replied Llewellyn, pointing at his back.
There were two squeals of laughter behind them. Lavender and Parvati were hanging on to Seamus's and Dean's arms, as if they would run away the second one of the girls let go. Judging by their faces, this was the boys' plan.
"Matt is going to be playing our music?" tittered Parvati.
"Matt is so cute!" squealed Lavender.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Oh, excuse me," snapped Parvati. She unhooked herself from Dean and put her hands on her hips. "I should call him Professor Visilio, shouldn't I?" she continued, dripping with sarcasm.
"Yeah, or else the prefect is gonna get us in trouble,"added Lavender.
Dean and Seamus saw their chance, and scurried over to the refreshments table.
"Come on, Hermione, we don't need to listen to this trash," proclaimed Llewellyn. She grabbed her wrist and moved out of the doorway. Harry and Ron followed, leaving Lavender and Parvati nothing to do but look on with disgust.
"Wonder what kind of stuff Visilio's gonna play tonight," commented Ron. He popped an Every-Flavor Bean into the air and caught it with his mouth.
No one ever knew afterwards why Ron had suddenly fell to his knees. It could have been a dirt- or grasshopper-flavored bean. Or, it could have been the blast of sound suddenly issuing from the speakers that brought nearly everyone else to the floor. It was something loud, screaming, heavy; distinctly an American sound. Llewellyn shouted the lyrics out as the rest of the students kept staring at each other.
The next song was a popular summer one by Celestina Warbeck that most students knew already. A general chatter broke out in the Hall as more people started moving to the more familiar music. The next ones were also well-known, and the dance started to heat up.
Visilio was in his element as he mixed and remixed the songs into the heartbeat of the dance. He was almost more fun to watch than to listen to the music. Grinning the whole time, he spun records on his finger, foot, and finally his nose, as a grand finale to the students who watched him.
The dance passed without any real incident until the first slow song. "Ladies' choice," announced Visilio into a microphone. Llewellyn grinned at Harry, and he couldn't help but smile back. They bended back and foward rather stiffly in time to the music, like Ron and Hermione beside them.
Harry looked out over the rest of the floor. There was Seamus and Lavender, Dean and Parvati, Neville and Ginny, and a few other familiar couples. Harry recognized them from the Yule Ball. The rest of the school hung around, uneasy, at the edges of the Great Hall. A few of them partnered up and joined the rest of the couples. Harry didn't see Cho anywhere.
A couple moved away, and Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson came into view. To see the two dancing together was a sickening sight. Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent Bulstrode lingered in the shadows behind the two.
They turned, and a blue light hit Malfoy's face. Harry noticed he looked a little sick himself, and held distance between himself and Pansy. Malfoy caught Harry's look, saw him with Llewellyn, and Harry almost saw him grimace. Harry turned away and pulled the tiniest bit closer to Llewellyn.
The song ended, and another bass-heavy, thumping kind of tune came on. The couples pulled apart as the crowd standing on the edges faded back into the middle of the hall.
"Thank you kindly, ma'am," said Ron to Hermione, in a stupid cowboy kind of voice.
"This town ain't big enough for the two of us!" replied Harry, beaming.
"What's going on up by the turn table?" asked Llewellyn. She pointed to a crowd standing around a person she couldn't see clearly.
They made their way up to the knot of people. Colin Creevey was moving very erractically, almost jerkily, as he spun in a circle on his knees. He finished with almost a split, and the crowd cheered as Colin stood up. Shirley Malfoy appeared out of no where and stood on her hands. She went up and down like a fish a couple of times, with even more applaud from the crowd.
"What in the world are they doing?" asked Ron, bewildered.
"Break dancing, what do you think?" replied Llewellyn.
Colin was not to be outdone. He grabbed the back of his head and his shin, and hopped up and down on his right foot while bringing his leg and head closer. The crowd yelled for a contest. Shirley went right through to a kneel, and she sent her legs flying around her in a circle as she jumped over them with her hands. It was quite an awesome sight.
Colin was just about to reply with another move when McGonagall appeared. "Malfoy! Creevey! What do you think you're doing?" she clamored.
"Aw, come on, Professor, we were just having some fun," replied Shirley exasperatedly.
"That's enough from you, young lady," warned McGonagall. There were a few "Ooh"'s from the throng.
Shirley frowned and stuck out her tongue.
"Ten points from Slytherin!" shrieked McGonagall. "And I better not catch you making any more rude faces at any other professors, or else it'll be fifty!"
McGonagall stormed out of the hall, students parting before her like she was a miracle worker.
The crowd filled in the hole left by the two break dancers as a quieter song played. Harry heard Shirley say "What's eating her robes?" before she disappeared into her group of friends.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Llewellyn spent the next few songs hanging out on the left wall, watching the rest of the school. It was only after the next slow song, which Harry and Llewellyn decided to sit out of, that things started to really get interesting.
"You're such a little kid!" came the scream of Pansy across the whole Hall.
"Look who's talking, you brat!" replied Malfoy angrily.
Even the music seemed to get quieter as more and more people piped down to watch Malfoy and Pansy's row. After they had been shouting at each other for what seemed like half and hour, Malfoy just stopped in mid- sentence, closed his mouth determinably, and left the Hall.
Visilio gave the hall a moment of silence, and looked at his watch. "Last dance of the night, fellas," he announced, breaking the silence of the whole hall.
"Llewellyn?" asked Harry.
She seemed preoccupied. "One second, Harry," she announced, peering out of the front entrance.
He looked back at Hermione and Ron. They shrugged. Llewellyn returned, gave Harry a quick smile, and came together for the last dance.
"This is my favorite song," whispered Llewellyn.
"What is it?" asked Harry.
"'Enchanted by Moonlight', by Mora Jones," she answered. "It's her debut, and I'm already hankering to buy the CD." Harry nodded, closing his eyes. Llewellyn, not sensing a real response, added, "What do you think of it?"
"It's nice," murmured Harry.
They swayed, a little bit more freely than the first dance now they were warmed up. About three quarters of the song passed.
"What do you think of Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"Draco or Shirley?"
"Draco."
She paused for a moment. "He has nowhere to vent his feelings of frustration, so he places them in the form of slanderous messages to his school mates."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's obvious he's getting mentally abused by his parents' tyrannical power. Same thing with Shirley."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I feel sorry for him."
"Sorry for Malfoy?" He asked it in a harsh, demanding kind of way.
At this Llewellyn stepped away from him. "Come on, Harry, the guy just broke up with his girlfriend."
"He's been nasty way before tonight, Llewellyn. You just don't understand."
"I don't understand? I don't understand? You're the one who can't understand what kind of a position he's in. Malfoy needs some real help."
"And you're the one who understands what kind of a position he's in?"
Llewellyn's eyes flashed with anger, but tears soon started welling up. She tried forming words, but they just wouldn't come out. Finally, she just threw her hands down in frustration and ran crying out of the Great Hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other than the bass of the song a world away, there was absolute silence in the dark halls where Llewellyn walked. She followed shadows and quiet footprints, finally coming to a section behind a swinging tapestry she was sure was not used often.
It was a tiny, dusty passageway leading to an open door some four feet above the ground. Moonlight poured silver on the floor as a slight breeze moved the still air. She moved without a single sound revealing her presence.
There was Malfoy, leaning on the wrought iron railing of the old balcony he was standing on. His back was hunched and his arms were crossed as he shook with a suppressed sob. Llewellyn stepped out onto the balcony.
"Hey there, Draco," she called gently.
He jumped and spun around, wiping away tears he hoped she hadn't seen glinting in the moonlight.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. Malfoy looked closer. "Llewellyn!" he commented, surprised. They looked at each other for a few seconds of silence.
"Sorry about you and Pansy," said Llewellyn.
"Oh, her." He waved his hand as if to brush off the thought. "It's not that important."
"I heard you've been going out for two years?"
"I can get over her." Malfoy turned back to the railing and the pearly light of the crescent moon. He hung his head for a moment, and turned back to Llewellyn.
"How are you and Potter doing?"
"Well, not so great, but..." She trailed off. "Okay, for the moment."
"So I take it you didn't have a boyfriend or anything back in the States."
"No one." She smiled. "But I did have a lot of crushes."
She moved up to the railing alongside him. "It's a pretty night tonight."
"Yeah," he replied. "It's not going to be like this for very much longer."
They looked at the stars in more silence. Finally, Llewellyn took a chance.
"You don't act like this around other people."
He looked grimly down into the lake for a full minute before replying.
"My father's involved in the Dark Arts." He shook his head. "My whole family is a great big bunch of crooks and rotten people. And I hate it!"
He slammed his fist into his other hand.
Llewellyn patted him on the back consolingly.
"And I always have to act like we're the best. I don't want to. I can't do kind or courageous things like Potter. I can't be smart like Granger. I can't be dependable like Weasley. So, all I have left to be best in is to...to walk over everyone else." He looked at Llewellyn sadly. "I don't want to do it any more."
She nodded.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" continued Malfoy.
Llewellyn sighed. "Harry and I just had a little fight. Nothing, really. But I wanted to come out here to talk to you."
"Why?" He looked at her. "No one else in this school ever wants to talk to me, except maybe those two dimwits Vince and Greg."
"That's because you don't let them," replied Llewellyn.
"So, you're here as a kind of guidance counselor, right?"
She laughed. "Draco, listen, I know you feel weird at informal things like this, when everyone wears Muggle clothes and you're left with your wizard robes. Same thing with me."
He suddenly noticed that she was in her old white robes. "You're not saying you come from an old, crummy, wizarding family?"
She nodded at his surprised expression. "I've been living at Columbia since I was four. My folks are happy with receiving a good report card at the end of the school year and an occasional letter or two."
"You're at school during summer, too?"
"Right."
He looked at her closely.
"I still can't believe someone actually giving a damn about my feelings after fifteen years. Why are you?"
She returned his look.
"Because you're the first to care about mine."
They looked at each other for a long time. Suddenly, it seemed to dawn on them that they were nearly nose to nose. Llewellyn stepped back and looked down.
"Draco, I can't do this. I'm...I'm still with Harry."
He nodded, and did not ask why when she ran back inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was past midnight before Llewellyn slipped back into the Gryffindor common room. There were a few stragglers from the party crashed in the armchairs by the dying fire. She yawned and started up the spiral staircase into her dark dorm.
"There you are!" A light sprang up in Hermione's lamp.
Llewellyn jumped. There was Hermione, looking very anxious and worried, sitting on the end of her bed.
"What are you doing up?" asked Llewellyn.
"Waiting for you, what do you think?" replied Hermione, grinning. The smile faded. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Llewellyn sat down. "How's Harry?"
Hermione shrugged. "He looked pretty flustered after you left. He thinks...you ran after Malfoy."
"Oh...." Llewellyn went to add something, but decided against it.
"Where have you been for the past hour, anyway?"
"Just milling around the school. Thinking."
It brought a big wave of acid to her stomach to lie to Hermione. She let it slide.
"Thinking about what?"
"Er...." She looked around the dimly lit dormitory. "Life."
"Do you want someone else to talk to?"
"No, thanks, I already have -" She stopped herself and thought quickly. "I already have got it pretty much sorted out."
"You've got your life sorted out?"
"Yeah."
"Sure?"
"Yeah. Listen, can we just get some shut eye already?"
The last thing Llewellyn saw before the light went out was Hermione's bewildered expression.