Unraveled
Chapter Twenty-Five: Can't Dance?
The last two weeks before the party were a blur. Harry decided not to wear wizarding robes to the party, instead he opted to wear Muggle clothes. Ron thought there was something loose in his head. Hermione observed that Harry probably wanted to wear the Muggle clothes because of a certain girl who wasn't used to wizarding things yet.
Somehow, Harry managed to get a nice simple suit for the party. Hermione decided to wear a semi-formal dress that her mother sent her, saying it brought out her eyes. It was going to be an even bigger gathering than the Yule Ball because all the grades were invited to the party.
Draco managed to get himself to willingly go to the party. He thought of feigning illness to get out of going the party, but Fiona talked him out of it. He still didn't want to go, but she twisted his arm until he agreed to go.
Fiona didn't know what to wear to the party. She had to go, and her father assured her that it didn't matter what she wore. Sirius told her that she could wear a burlap bag and she'd still look good like her mother.
Nell came up with a remedy to the problem: Fiona didn't have to wear wizarding robes if she didn't want to. That allowed Fiona to pick out whatever she wanted.
Bill was staying at the inn in Hogsmeade. He woke up early morning on the day of the party when rest of the members of the Weasley family arrived. Percy looked rather grave compared to everyone else.
"Are you all right?" asked Bill.
"If you mean being questioned about my activities almost everyday, then I'm fine," replied Percy grimly. He was now working for the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that he was only working there so that Fudge could keep an eye on Professor Dumbledore's activities since their falling out of terms almost a year ago.
"I hope that Dumbledore has good news," said Charlie. He had to take time off from his work, but he was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix. All the adult members of the Weasley family were members, and Percy was Dumbledore's eyes and ears at the Minister's office. He was more than willing to be. His girlfriend, Penelope, was a half-blood.
"Did you get to talk to the twins, Ron, and Ginny?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
Bill nodded and smiled. "Yes, Ron and Hermione are going together. The twins have stayed out of trouble, and Ginny's fine. Harry's been acting weird, according to Ron, but I haven't seen much of a difference."
Mrs. Weasley frowned slightly. "What did Ron say?" she asked further.
"Molly, we should leave it be. We have bigger things to deal with later. And I daresay that someone else will be taking care of Harry," interjected Mr. Weasley.
"Just because he has his godfather, doesn't mean he doesn't need us," said Mrs. Weasley.
"What else happened with Dumbledore?" asked Charlie.
"I'm supposed to appraise something, but it hasn't been given to me yet," said Bill with a shake of his head.
*
Fiona got ready for the party slowly. She wore a plain velvet skirt with some silk embroidering on it. Her hair was pinned up into an elegant bun. She wore no jewelry, except for the crystal that hung from her neck. Her blouse was an elegant white silk wrap around. She felt ungainly on the heels that Nell insisted on buying her, calling them "adult shoes." Fiona looked at the makeup kit that Nell had bought for her. She moved to put it on, but stopped herself. She didn't need it.
There came a soft knock from the door. She sighed. "Come in." The door creaked open. Sirius stood in nice wizards' dress robes, looking extremely handsome. She smiled at the mirror. "You look beautiful," he whispered, returning her smile.
"Thanks. I remember sitting on the bed watching Mom get ready for a big party or a dance recital," she said.
"I remember just watching her get ready for the day," he told her. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a sigh.
"Don't act like you're going to your own execution, Fin. People can sense fear," said Sirius with a laugh.
He offered her his arm, which she took. He smiled at her. It had been years since he had a female on his arm. The last female was her mother. Both were equally the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on.
"Do you have to go to the party as a dog, Dad?" she asked.
"Yes, but for now I don't have to be," he replied.
"I guess I can hang outside until everything is done. I heard from Draco that the decorations are wonderful," she commented.
"Let's go already," said Nell.
"Okay," said Sirius as he allowed them to go through the entrance first. As soon as they came through, they were met by Remus and Severus who were dressed in formal robes. It was hard to tell with Severus because they were plain black ones. Remus gave them a smile.
"Come, along. Not everyone's here yet. The Headmaster is going to make an announcement to get everything started. Then all of us will be going away for the meeting. Fiona, you can wait until the announcement. Then you can join everyone at the party, if you wish," said Remus.
She nodded as they all gathered at the back. Sirius changed into his dog form and walked beside Fiona. Everyone clapped as Professor Dumbledore stood up and the room fell silent. Beside him, stood Ryu Ran and Severus Snape took his place on Dumbledore's left side.
Fiona scanned the room until she spotted a very uncomfortable Draco, who was trying to wretch his arm away from Pansy. She smiled. Further scanning the room, she spotted Harry Potter wearing Muggle clothes. Her eyes traveled again and rested on Ron and Hermione who held each other's hands. The rest of the room was filled with strangers, making Fiona very uncomfortable again.
"Welcome everyone. I hope everyone will have a wonderful time. This maybe one of the last carefree days we will all look back on in many days to come. Let us just enjoy these moments. Let the party begin," said Professor Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. Fiona frowned slightly. She knew what he meant about the things to come.
The music started playing. The house elves had made wonderful treats for everyone to eat. Sirius barked at her. "Okay," she whispered. Nell and Sirius walked off. She watched them leave. As soon as they were out of sight, she walked towards the door and opened it.
The cool night air hit her face, waking her up. She craned her neck upwards. She couldn't understand why she felt the need to star gaze so often these days. Her life really wasn't all that sad compared to others. Why did she feel so sad most of the time? She felt alone.
Turning around, she watched the other people dance from the window. It seemed more natural than being inside looking at them. She watched as they smiled and laughed together. A feeling of longing washed over her, but not the slightest touch of envy.
Harry looked around himself. Cho Chang walked up to him. She was wearing a set of wizarding dress robes that were dark violet. She looked lovely. "Harry, I promised you one dance," she said to him with a friendly smile.
He tried to smile back at her, but he couldn't quite muster it. He could have sworn that he had seen Fiona Black there a moment ago. Where did she go? He felt uncomfortable as everyone started dancing around him. He had two left feet. Or so he thought. "Um…I'm sorry, Cho. I really don't know how to dance,' he admitted.
"That's all right. I've seen you dance before. You did fine at the Yule Ball," she told him. Harry shook his head because he remembered how Parvati had dragged him to the dance floor before and practically led the entire time. "Excuse me. I'm sorry, Cho," he whispered, wanting so much to flee before his embarrassment caught up with him.
Harry's eyes went around the room, even Draco Malfoy proved to be light on his feet. He had to get out of there before anyone else offered to dance with him. Then he saw her. A lump formed in his throat as he watched her looking through the window from the outside. He wasn't the only one who didn't want to be there.
He made his way outside. Ron made a move to stop him, but Hermione prevent him. She smiled. "Let him. You're with me," she smiled. He smiled at her.
Harry went outside slowly. Fiona was so focused on the activity inside that she couldn't hear him coming. He just stood still watching her. "Are you lonely?" he finally asked.
Fiona nearly fell back in surprise, causing him to smile. "You're not as graceful as you look," he commented. She regained her footing, but her cheeks were flushed.
"You should stop sneaking up on people like that, Harry."
"I'm sorry. I was wondering why you were standing out here by yourself," he said.
She looked away from him again to look at the people inside. "I don't know anyone there. It's always been like this for me. Always on the outside looking in," she paused when she saw the look on Harry's face. "It's not so bad. It's okay. You get used to it."
"You shouldn't have to get used to it," he said angrily. She was startled by his temper.
"Then why are you out here?" she snapped.
"I saw that you were alone. I thought that you could use the company," he replied with a shrug.
"I don't like people feeling sorry for me just because I'm alone."
"But, you don't like being alone either, do you?"
Fiona shook her head. "You must be very popular," she whispered.
"What?" That caught him by surprise. Harry hardly considered himself popular. Well known, yes, but hardly popular. He was famous for his scar and the night his parents died. Harry knew how popular their father's were. Harry wished that he had inherited part of his father's charisma.
"You seem to draw a lot of attention to yourself without trying. People look for you," Fiona continued. "But, why are you out here? Something tells me you'd be out here whether or not I am."
You're wrong. I'm out here because I want to be with you, he thought. Instead he said, "I can't dance."
Fiona started to laugh softly. "You're kidding right?" she took one look at him and stopped laughing. A smile remained on her face, "You're not kidding."
Harry felt his cheeks turn bright red. "No. I can't dance. That's why I came out here." Suddenly something happened that made him go from red to white, he felt her take a hold of her hand. His ears felt like they were burning. "If that's the only thing that's keeping you out here, then I think I can help you," she said.
"Um…what?" he stammered.
"I'll teach you how to dance. My mother was a very good teacher. I know how to dance," said Fiona simply.
"Y-you don't have to do anything," he stammered.
"Come on. I won't hurt you. Don't you trust me?" she whispered with a smile that made his insides melt in the most wonderful way. She moved his hand to settle on her hip and took his other hand. "You have to hold my hand. I'm not supposed to hold your hand."
Harry held her hand and his breath as she placed her other hand on his shoulder. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Okay, now listen to me carefully. Don't hear my voice. Listen. I know that sounds silly," she said softly.
"Yes," whispered Harry. He could smell her. It was the scent of peppermints and roses. It was nearly intoxicating. "Are you okay, Harry?"
"I'm fine," he whispered. I'm with you.
"Listen, don't hear. One. Two. One. Two. Just listen to that. You'll have to follow the lead of my voice, so that my feet can follow your lead."
"One. Two. One. Two." Harry closed his eyes as he followed the sound of her voice. After a moment he looked down at his feet. They danced to the music for another minute before she dropped her hand from his shoulder. She tilted his chin to look at her face.
"Now that you can move your feet. Let's see if you can do it without looking at them. Look at me." For a brief moment, her thumb grazed the bottom of his lip. He looked straight into her eyes. She put her hand back on his shoulder.
"How am I doing?" he breathed after the song ended.
"Very well. You dance better than you think," she told him. Another song started, but Harry refused to let Fiona go. "One more," he said.
She smiled and nodded. Halfway through the second dance, Harry spun her and caught her in his arms. "You are a liar, Harry Potter," laughed Fiona.
Harry starting laughing out loud. He held her close for a moment before reluctantly letting her go. He felt like part of him left as she walked off. "Why do you always look at me like that?" she asked.
"Like what?"
"Like you know me. Like you've always known me."
Harry stared into her eyes. "You are beautiful," he whispered.
His comment made her cheeks flush again. It wasn't the first time anyone had ever told her that, but this was the first time someone had managed to make her blush. He noticed it and looked away to save her embarrassment. "Do you want to go inside?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "No, I'd rather stay outside. You can go back if you want."
"I'd rather stay here with you," he whispered. He looked at her again. She was smiling.
"Um…thank you for saying that I'm beautiful. You look very handsome," she said softly.
Harry felt his cheeks flush now. "Um…thanks. But, you don't have to say it just because I said it."
"But, it's true," Fiona insisted. They made eye contact briefly again, but they quickly looked the other way. They were both extremely nervous and giddy at the same time.
Draco was too busy trying to get away from Pansy to notice anything. Ron and Hermione were too focused on each other to notice much else. Fred and George were having fun dancing in one large group.
The meeting went on for another hour or so. Fiona and Harry danced together a few more times and engaged in quiet conversation. He asked about America, while she asked questions about his life at Hogwarts. They even exchanged some stories they had heard about their fathers. He loved her laugh. He remembered the dreams he had of her. This whole night was like one of those dreams. However, he knew it was real because he could smell her and see her face.
Sirius came out of the meeting in his dog form with Remus at his side. He searched the room with his sharp dog eyes for Fiona. When couldn't see her, he tried to look for Harry. Remus did the same.
"Where is she?" asked Remus out loud.
A voice of distaste came from Snape, "Apparently, her judgment of the company she keeps is as bad as her mother's." He gestured at the pair that was standing outside facing away from the window.
"Is that your goddaughter?" asked Mrs. Weasley to Remus, who nodded. "And she's with Harry."
"Yeah, he went out there some time ago, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione. "Hi everyone."
"Hello, Hermione," said Mr. Weasley with a smile.
"Actually, I've been watching zem ze entire time. Zey've been dancing," said Fleur Delacour. They all whirled around. She was wearing a set of light blue dress robes. She was chaperoning the dance. "I've been having a wonderful time juzt watching them."
Sirius' tail wagged at the information. Professor Dumbledore smiled. The meeting went off very well. Ryu had to contact his leader again, but everything was going as planned. "Please call them in, Fleur," he ordered.
She walked outside slowly to give them more time. Harry and Fiona were talking in low voices.
"Then, Mr. Grant tried to send me to the principal's office. I had to come up with something, but luckily the bell rang," said Fiona.
Harry was laughing. "You were saved by the bell. Um…Professor Delacour?"
They turned around. "'ello. I'm zorry, but it iz time for you to come back inside," she told them.
They nodded and came inside. "I would like to introduce a student who will be joining our ranks here at Hogwarts," said Professor Dumbledore.
Fiona looked at all the eyes on her. Harry noticed that her lip trembled slightly, so he took her hand. He ignored the looks and the gasps that some people allowed to escape. He could feel her fear. "Come forward, Miss Black," said Professor Dumbledore.
She looked to see where her father was. Sirius looked at her and nodded. Fiona reluctantly let go of Harry's hand. She noticed there was an old hat on top of a stool. She eyed it suspiciously, knowing it wasn't an ordinary hat. She took a deep breath.
"It's all right, Miss Black. This is the Sorting Hat. It decides which house you will fit into best," said Professor Dumbledore reassuringly. He picked up the hat and gestured for her to take a seat on the stool. She took a seat and faced everyone. The hat was placed on her head. It was obviously too big for her head.
"Ah…what do we have here?" asked the hat.
You can talk?, thought Fiona.
"Of course I can. I can read your thoughts. Don't worry other people can't hear what's going on. Hmm…I know what makes you special. You're a descendent of Salazar Slytherin, but wait…your father's a Gryffindor, isn't he?"
Yes.
"I haven't had such a difficult sorting since Harry Potter. You belong in Slytherin because you are a Slytherin to the bone, yet you are a Gryffindor as well. You have a great intellect, but that is merely proof of your line. You are intelligent enough to be in Ravenclaw, but not nice enough to be in Hufflepuff."
I'm nice.
"No need to get angry with me. No, that's a characteristic of a Gryffindor. You are a Parseltongue. That's a sign of Slytherin. But you believe in fairness. That's a sign of Gryffindor. Where do you want to go?"
I don't know.
"I can see lots of potential for greatness in you. Believe me, I don't say it often. Old Salazar would roll in his grave if his own heir wasn't in his house. However, I was Godric Gryffindor's hat, so I say…GRYFFINDOR!"
The last word was shouted and echoed through the silent hall. Draco's face twisted in a smirk. He thought it was a delightful piece of irony that the heir of Slytherin was in Gryffindor. Professor Dumbledore took the hat off her head. "I believe that has got to be one of the longest sortings I've ever seen," he commented as the Gryffindors started clapping.
Sirius ran on stage with his tail wagging. He knew she was a Gryffindor. She smiled at him. "Do I have to go to school here now?" she asked Sensei Ran.
"For the time being, you will be placed into the fourth years' classes. You are already caught up with all the work that they've done. I have to go back to my order and make other preparations," said Ryu with a smile.
"Were you ever sorted?" she asked.
He shook his head. "But, I probably would have ended up in Gryffindor. Nell will take over your extra lessons. I expect you to work with Draco while I am away."
"What about you?" she asked the dog.
"He'll stay with me," said Remus.
"Hello, my name is Ginny Weasley," said Ginny as she introduced herself. "I've just been asked to show you around."
"And I'll help you, I'm a prefect," said Hermione. Ron was grinning ear to ear.
"Thanks," said Fiona as she looked at Harry briefly. "Excuse me for a moment."
Draco smiled at her as she came to him. "You seem to be getting along with the Gryffindors," he told her.
"Get away from here," spat Pansy.
"Excuse me?" asked Fiona. Her ruby eyes flared, causing Pansy to stumble back. "You don't know who you are dealing with."
"Draco!" she whined.
"Go away Pansy," he ordered. She pouted as she stalked off. He shook his head. "She's been getting on my nerves."
"Are you okay?" Fiona asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Um…I'm in Gryffindor."
Draco took her arm and lead her away from the group of Slytherin. "Believe me, you're safer there than in Slytherin. Trust me."
She smiled at him. "Of course, I trust you," she whispered.
He smiled at her. "Part of me wishes you were in Slytherin, but I would sleep better at night, if I knew you were anywhere else."
Severus Snape watched them chatting quietly. He knew part of what Draco was saying. He smiled slightly as he remembered Thalia. He was happy that Thalia never came to Hogwarts. Severus wasn't sure he could protect Fiona in his own house.
Harry wasn't too happy at the moment. His hands were rolled into fists as he watched Fiona and Draco talk quietly. "Isn't this great?! Now she's in our house," exclaimed Ron.
"Harry? Are you okay?" asked Hermione.
"Fine," said Harry. He had to come up with something. He saw Fred and George getting balled out by their mum. He smiled a little bit as an idea came to him.
The party dispersed after that. Fiona returned with her father, Nell, and Sensei Ran to the Shrieking Shack. Harry decided to stay back a bit and talk to Fred and George.
"What did your mum talk to you about?" he asked.
"Nothing. Just the usually, 'Your N.E.W.Ts are coming up,' speech. Nothing major," said Fred.
"I saw you dancing with that new student," said George with a smile.
"Yes. I wanted to ask you something," said Harry.
"What?" asked Fred.
"Well, first off, I'd like to say that Ron's robes looked really good. My question is: have you come up with any new jokes?"
"Yes, we did. And we managed to keep our newest jokes without getting caught," said Fred.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't test them," said George.
"Why not?" asked Harry.
"Because our mum will catch us the moment we attempt to do a test," said George with a sigh.
"I'm your investor. I want to see some results," said Harry evenly.
"I suppose you deserve to see some return on your investment, Harry. I didn't think you'd be so serious about it," said Fred curiously.
"I am. I know the perfect test subject," said Harry.
"Who?" asked George.
"I'll tell you later. Just be ready," replied Harry as he walked off. A smile started to appear on his face. If Draco wants to spend time with Fiona, he can. But, not if I have anything to say about it, he thought as a feeling of extreme possessiveness came over him.
AN: Short chapter. Very short. Sorry, but it's still got lots of stuff in it. ^^ So, it's all good.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. ^^