THE DANCE
disclaimer: AS ALWAYS NONE OF THE CHARACTERS FROM THE HARRY POTTER SERIES BELONG TO ME THEY BELONG TO JK ROWLING.
The Great Hall was standing room only. The house tables had been removed to make room for the dancers to compete, with only the Head Table still in place. In pairs the couples were seen going up the Head Table to sign in and collect there number to be worn on the backs of the male dancers. As Hermione and Snape entered the hall, a hush ensued followed by a ripple of whispered commentary as heads turned and watched the couple make their way towards the couples that were milling around, collecting their dance numbers. The rumor of Snape dancing had spread fast mainly because he was dancing with a student, a Gryffindor student to be precise.
Ignoring the stares of the gawking students, Snape guided Hermione towards the head table. Nearing the table, both Snape and Hermione noticed some of the other couples who also would be competing. Surprisingly the others had taken Dumbledore's rules to heart, noting the interhouse couples that were surrounding the Head Table. Neither Snape nor Hermione could hide their shock when they saw Malfoy paired with Ginny Weasley, Harry with Pansy Parkinson and Ron with Millicent Bulstrode. As they finally reached the front of the queue Severus could not conceal his shock any longer. With a glint in his eye, leaning slightly over the table he arched an eyebrow in question at Dumbledore. Gleam met glint as Dumbledore issued a number to Snape, ignoring the unasked question and gestured to the bulletin board that was off to the side. Narrowing his eyes, Snape turned and went over to the board in question. With a quick glance he noted that it listed the order in which they were to dance. Taking a closer look, his eyes opened just slightly with the realization that Hermione and he were the last to compete. "A bloody finale." Snape muttered in disgust shooting a glare in Dumbledore's direction. With a slight shake of his head, he turned to Hermione giving her the number to attach to his back.
Hermione taking the number from Snape began attaching it to his back as she mulled over the upcoming competition. She knew that Harry and Ron were fine dancers, a thought that sent the butterflies in her stomach flying into a tornado. Not so great herself, she had to follow everyone else in this event and partnered to Snape to boot. It wasn't like there was a hope in Hades that anyone would get bored and just leave before they danced. She knew about the rumors. Who couldn't know about them, especially if they were involving you. She had endured the taunts from the other students over the last two weeks and now everyone was here drooling over the chance to see the "odd couple" dance.
Soon everyone had arrived and received their number, afterwhich the competing couples had moved off to the side of the Head Table to wait their turn. Most of the couples were fellow 7th years as well, some of the teachers also were competing, but most had offered to judge instead. Even though the majority had offered to judge the affair, only a few were qualified, not surprising the Headmaster was an accomplished dancer as well as a great wizard. With Dumbledore leading the panel of judges, he was joined with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, all of whom were excellent dancers as well.
Raising his wand into the air Dumbledore signaled to the Hall for quiet. After a few minutes only crickets could be heard as everyone gave the Headmaster there complete attention. "Thank you each and everyone that had joined us for this first ever dance contest. I hope to have many more of these affairs in the future. Well, let us begin, first up, dancing to "Coconut"," glancing amusedly over his half-moon spectacles at the couple, "will be Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley!"
Hermione watched as Ginny and Draco walked out onto the floor, with Draco in the lead. Draco brought Ginny full circle arching around him till she stood facing him at which point she took his other hand. With a nod to Dumbledore, the music began. The guitar strummed, "Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime, His sister had another one, she paid it for a lime...." and they began to dip and sway to the music, keeping constant contact with each other. They're eyes never left each other as they shimmied to a slow beat continuing to dip towards to each other and sway. Watching them Hermione began to think that maybe something had sprung between the two of them, mentally making a note to ask Ginny later. Giving a sideways glance at the Weasleys, Hermione thought they also had the same thoughts as she. Their dance came to a steamy end as they came together, resting their heads against each other. Waiting a beat, Draco and Ginny bowed and curtsied to the Head Table before leaving the floor. That's when the score showed in glowing numbers as they were shot from the ends of each of the judges wand. 9.2,9.8,9.4,9.5, and 9.2 for an overall 9.42. The audience cheered for the couple recognizing the good score.
Hermione watch as each of her friends went up and danced, each turning out a worse score than the last. For all the good dancing in the world, without a decent partner, all you got were sore toes. Unfortunately for Harry and Ron both their partner were terrible dancers, netting each of them abysmally low scores. Harry and Pansy barely made it through the number they had chosen. Dancing to a big band piece, "In the Mood", Harry nearly dropped Pansy when he tried to hoist her up into the air as she kicked her heels above her head. Their dance came to an abrupt end when he attempted to swing Pansy around his back as he leaned forward. This maneuver landed them in a heap of tangled limbs, at which point Harry disentangled himself and left the floor, but not before he gave a look of disdain at Pansy who was sitting in a most unladylike position in the middle of the Hall.
Ron had thought he would play it safe and do a wizard's waltz, but Bulstrode just couldn't manage the intricate steps. Unlike the 1-2-3-turn of a simple waltz, the Wizard's Waltz moved to a much quicker pace. The Wizard's Waltz contained five steps that moved to the points of a pentagon at which point Ron would lift Millicent up in a hop with a twist in mid-air coming down and stepping into the next turn of the five step pentagon. Unfortunately whenever Ron tried to lift Millicent up, their combined weight prevented them from gaining any air for the hop-twist resulting in a twisted ankle for Ron and broken hip for Bulstrode as they too toppled over, landing with a crunching thud on the cold stone floor of the Hall. Chagrined, Ron tried to at least salvage the situation by assisting Millicent to leave the floor, but was shooed away by a huffing Poppy Pomfrey who had came out and levitated Millicent off to the side to tend to her hip.
Even their inadequate score that had resulted from their unfortunate injuries did little to abate the swarm of butterflies wreaking havoc on her nervous system. Trying to calm down some Hermione gave herself a last once over, straightening her dress with a final glance at her feet. 'What on earth happened to my shoes' wondered Hermione. Turning to Snape she was about ask this when she heard their names being called. Before she could utter two words Snape had grasped her hand and twirled her out to the center of the Hall.
Standing in the center, back to back with Hermione, Severus could feel all the eyes that had fixed on Hermione and him. Silently praying to the god of the dance that the spell worked, he waited for the music to begin.
Around him he heard the sound of clapping, that signaled the beginning strains of the piece they had used. Taking his cue he stepped away from Hermione and proceeded to strut around her, holding her hand in his till he had circled her with her own arm and was again behind her pressed against her back. Her left arm raised with his, came down slowly as he brought his hand down trailing along her body to come to rest upon her hip. His hand on her hip they began to move together. Seamlessly their feet moved in synchroniscity as they moved in quick short steps, their hips and shoulders mimicking the movements of their feet. Their faces turned towards each other they maintained eye contact slowly becoming oblivious to the rest of the Hall. Moving in time to the music Severus leaned into Hermione causing her to bend forward as they two-stepped in a backwards motion. Her head dipping with the motion of her upper body, Hermione's hair flared out in a fan like motion whipping back into Severus' face as she came back up to rest against his chest. Enshrouded by her hair Snape nearly lost sense of what they were doing and where they were they were doing it as the rush of raspberries invades his senses. Acknowledging the sudden pulse of desire that surged through him he pushed Hermione away with one hand while holding the other and spun her out so that they danced side by side continually rotating their hips as they dipped, swayed and sashayed across the floor. Pulling her back to him, they danced together facing each other, his hands on her hips and hers on his shoulders. Staring into her amber eyes, a desire that matched his own was reflected back at him sending a shiver through him as he took her by one hand, placing his other on her hip and thrust her forward, sending her spinning onto her back over the floor and around his body and back up again, grasping her leg as she hooked it around his waist anchoring herself as she stood up. Hoping that Hermione couldn't feel the pressure he was trying to deny, he released her leg, letting it slide down his side as he grasped her hand in his and pushed her away in a spin as he stalked along side her. Hermione spun out, her dress fluttering, showing off her now tone (from all those practices) legs and her hair whipped around as she kept her head erect focusing on the Headmaster to avoid getting dizzy. Just as she came to a stop, Snape had her back his arms sliding his legs between hers as they continued to glide across the floor unaware of the gaping mouths of the students and teachers that surrounded them. In a final dip, Severus held Hermione against his body for a beat before leaning her backwards one hand on her abdomen, the other supporting her back as the length of Hermione's body rolled back as her knees bent forward between his legs. Snapping back up, Hermione's eyes locked onto Severus', leaning forward into him as they heard the dying strains of music dissipate from the Hall. Blissfully unaware of their surroundings they came the end of their dance. As the last note of the music wafted through the room Severus cradled her in his arms as he brought Hermione down to rest on one knee his head bowed over her.
As if they were caught in a moment of time, silence followed the last strains of the music. All Hermione could hear was her own breathing and that of Snape's over her. Then it hit her. Pandemonium erupted. A tidal wave of applause washed over them as Snape gingerly lifted her back up into a standing position to face the sea of students and teachers who had been mesmerized by their passionate dance of choice. The greasy git and the bookworm could dance. Curtsying and bowing to each other then the Head Table, Snape escorted Hermione off of the dance floor, heads held erect.
Standing off to the side, Hermione tried to catch her breath overwhelmed by the rush of desire that was unmistakable in her Professor's eyes. She hadn't been wrong, he could not deny it again and felt the heady feeling of this kind of knowledge wash over her when she remembered her shoes. Taking a deep breath to control the raging mix of emotion that threatened to blindside her she turned to Snape and tapped him on the arm, and in a hushed voice, "What happened to my shoes?" as she pointed down at her feet.
Glancing down at her feet, he nodded whispering back "Hondgipon." Afraid to speak in more than one word sentences, Snape also was experiencing the myriad of emotions that would prove to be his undoing if he couldn't become master of his senses while in the company of Miss Granger.
Eyes widening at the implication, Hermione stared at him in disbelief. 'How could he cast a spell on my shoes?! I'm not so terrible, am I?' thought Hermione as she saw rather than heard her score light up the ceiling of the Great Hall. Before she could fully process what Snape had done, she was being captured in a great big hug. Looking around her everyone was congratulating her, apparently she and Snape had won. 'what kind of spell was that?' Hermione thought as she felt herself being pulled to the front of the Hall by a familiar strong hand.
Pulling Hermione behind him, Severus made a path to the Head Table, the students parting like the red sea. Arriving in front of the Headmaster, the Hall became quiet yet again as everyone turned in anticipation. Dumbledore at this point beamed as the couple approached, his eyes brighter than either had ever seen them before.
"Ahem with a near overall perfect score of 9.9, Professor Snape and Miss Hermione Granger are our winners in tonight's first ever dance competition. In honor of the first dance competition our winners will receive dinner for two at the Grape on the Vine in Hogsmeade. Let us have a round of applause once again for Professor Snape and Miss Hermione Granger!"
'Here we go again!' a voice screamed in Severus' head. Torn between delight and disdain Severus forced himself to show a look of resignation at the pronouncement of his 'prize'. Giving Dumbledore a look that clearly said 'You set me up', Severus accepted the prize on behalf of Miss Granger and himself with as much decorum as he could muster without making himself sick. Just as he was about to slip away, Dumbledore held him in place. 'Merlin, what is he up to now?' thought Snape as he watched him gesture to Hermione to come forward.
Hermione could not remain still, her feet kept tapping to the beat of the music that was still playing in the Hall. Now that the competition was concluded, the remaining students and teachers were mingling on the dance floor, some dancing around those that were not. Gradually, Hermione noticed an increasing area of the floor was predominantly covered by dancers encased by non-dancers. Looking around, Hermione realized that the Headmaster was motioning for her and Professor Snape to come join him at the Head Table. 'Whatever for' thought Hermione as she skipped her way over in the direction of the Head Table. Coming up behind Snape, she managed to catch the last comment made by Dumbledore, "An interesting loophole you found Severus, remarkable really."
"Good evening, Miss Granger. Well done.I must say that was an awe inspiring performance and may I add what lovely shoes you have on tonight." Dumbledore remarked as he peered over his half-moon spectacles before giving Professor Snape a slight wink. "Now I think that I will see if Professor Vector would care for a dance before I turn in." Silently nodding to Hermione and Snape, Dumbledore ambled off in search of Vector.
Watching Dumbledore move away, Hermione waited till she was sure that he no longer was in earshot before turning to Snape, her eyes slightly narrowing and asked him, "What is Hondgipon?"
Feigning ignorance, Severus grabbed her hand muttering, "Care to dance?" Not waiting for an answer, Snape tugged a reluctant Hermione back out to the dance floor. Encircling Hermione in his arms he lead her through the motions of a soft slow waltz, this time focusing on the students that were still courageous enough to openly stare at them. Feeling Hermione begin to relax, he risked a glance down at her to be chastised by the look of anger that still resided in her features. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he queried smirking, "Do you not want to dance, Hermione?"
"It's Hermione now, is it Professor? Should I call you Severus then, hmm?" came the cold reply as Hermione stared unflinchingly into Snape's oil black eyes. Ignoring the gasps she heard from the nearby dancers she continued, through gritted teeth attempting to smile for the benefit of those that were watching them, she asked her question once more punctuating each word, "What. Is. Hondgipon?" Pausing a beat, she noted his grip tighten around hers as she glared up at him, "Severus?"
Exasperated he pulled her closer as the next piece began so that he could talk to her without anyone overhearing him. Trying not to take notice of the way that Hermione was now pressing against him as they moved, Severus gathered what little control he could as he attempted to explain the way the spell worked. "Hermione, the 'Hondgipon' spell is not anything to worry about.well maybe." Turning slightly he could see the slight arch of her eyebrow as he continued, "All it does is tap into the dancer's natural ability to dance." Feeling her stiffen slightly at his words, he trudged on "If you had no natural ability, the spell would make you a worse dancer not a better one, besides the side effects are minimal."
When Hermione heard that she couldn't help herself as she pulled back abruptly to look at him more clearly. In doing so she caused them to lose their balance catapulting them into a disarray of limbs in the middle of the dance floor. Landing on the floor with a muffled "oomph", she peered up into his eyes giving him an apologetic look as he began to climb off of her amid the snickering students that had gathered around them. She watched as he shot glares at the offending students before he offered a hand to assist her back up. With his help, she stood next to him again getting the urge to dance yet some more. 'He said side effects.' Hermione thought as she voice her next question, "Umm, what side effects are there?" she whispered as she rearranged her dress following him off the dance floor.
The attention that Hermione and he had garnered had not been lost on him as he strode off the floor in search of a quiet corner to assess the possible damage that this night may have caused. Tonight's escapade will invariably whet the gluttonous appetite of the rumor mill for some time, albeit if Hermione did not stay away from him they will witness rather more than just dancing. He could still feel the soft warmth of her body as she nestled against them while they had danced, her sweet scent still clung to his clothes. Seeing no where to hide in the vast Hall, amazingly filled to every corner with a student or teacher, Snape decided to find sanctuary in his rooms and headed for the dungeons. Just as he was about to reach the door out of the Great Hall he heard her.
"Professor!" Hermione was not going to let him leave without telling her what to expect and how long to expect it from this spell of his. She didn't care that everyone was still watching her as she brushed past a group of teachers, all giving her amused stares. She needed to know.
Upon hearing her, Severus turned and faced her masking the turmoil of feelings that he was experiencing as he hissed, "What now Miss Granger?" Staring into her eyes, his resolve nearly crumbled as he took in the flush of exertion from dancing giving her a glow that was becoming irresistible. Straightening up to his full height he just waited as she appraised him, her eyes betraying the want that she had made known while they were on 'Fantasy Island'.
"Professor, what are the side effects and why did we not get disqualified?" Come to think of it, why didn't Dumbledore stop them when he seemed to know my shoes looked different. He had mentioned a loophole, what did he mean by that? Hermione contemplated this as she waited for Severus to answer her. Getting impatient as yet again her feet began to tap rhythmically to the music in the background, she arched her brow at her teacher in a silent demand.
Quietly Snape leaned in so that he towered over her as he told her matter- of-factly, "It's the Cinderella affect." Seeing she didn't quite understand he continued, "The Cinderella affect, Hermione, is simply just like in the muggle fairy tale. The slippers will draw out your desire to dance until the spell wears off at the stroke of midnight. Unfortunately the slippers can not be removed until the spell wears off. As for disqualification, Dumbledore sees the spell as a form of transfigured dancing shoes not an alteration of the dancer. And now if you don't mind I've had quite enough of the festivities for the evening. Good night Miss Granger." Turning, he left her mouth gaping, toes tapping with hours to kill. It was going to be a long night.
A/N: Harry Nilsson---Coconut, I liked how this song sounded when I was watching the movie Practical Magic and thought that it would be fun to put Draco and Ginny dancing to it. As for the big band music for the 'The Boy Who Lived" and Miss Parkinson, I had in mind "In the Mood" a Glenn Miller piece and Ron and Millicent, well no music came to mind actually, just tried to think of a dance that would be similar to a Muggle waltz but different enough to might pass for wizard, I hope you liked it. The dance scene between Hermione and Snape was inspired by many sources. Various clips of salsa dance, the movies 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Strictly Ballroom' ( I kind of thought of the music from the last scene for their music) and the video for 'In Demand' that I want to thank for the post of the link to so that I could see it.
I don't actually do much dancing, I hope I got the movements of Salsa style dancing correct, please let me know if I was wrong in describing it the way that I did. Thank you.
disclaimer: AS ALWAYS NONE OF THE CHARACTERS FROM THE HARRY POTTER SERIES BELONG TO ME THEY BELONG TO JK ROWLING.
The Great Hall was standing room only. The house tables had been removed to make room for the dancers to compete, with only the Head Table still in place. In pairs the couples were seen going up the Head Table to sign in and collect there number to be worn on the backs of the male dancers. As Hermione and Snape entered the hall, a hush ensued followed by a ripple of whispered commentary as heads turned and watched the couple make their way towards the couples that were milling around, collecting their dance numbers. The rumor of Snape dancing had spread fast mainly because he was dancing with a student, a Gryffindor student to be precise.
Ignoring the stares of the gawking students, Snape guided Hermione towards the head table. Nearing the table, both Snape and Hermione noticed some of the other couples who also would be competing. Surprisingly the others had taken Dumbledore's rules to heart, noting the interhouse couples that were surrounding the Head Table. Neither Snape nor Hermione could hide their shock when they saw Malfoy paired with Ginny Weasley, Harry with Pansy Parkinson and Ron with Millicent Bulstrode. As they finally reached the front of the queue Severus could not conceal his shock any longer. With a glint in his eye, leaning slightly over the table he arched an eyebrow in question at Dumbledore. Gleam met glint as Dumbledore issued a number to Snape, ignoring the unasked question and gestured to the bulletin board that was off to the side. Narrowing his eyes, Snape turned and went over to the board in question. With a quick glance he noted that it listed the order in which they were to dance. Taking a closer look, his eyes opened just slightly with the realization that Hermione and he were the last to compete. "A bloody finale." Snape muttered in disgust shooting a glare in Dumbledore's direction. With a slight shake of his head, he turned to Hermione giving her the number to attach to his back.
Hermione taking the number from Snape began attaching it to his back as she mulled over the upcoming competition. She knew that Harry and Ron were fine dancers, a thought that sent the butterflies in her stomach flying into a tornado. Not so great herself, she had to follow everyone else in this event and partnered to Snape to boot. It wasn't like there was a hope in Hades that anyone would get bored and just leave before they danced. She knew about the rumors. Who couldn't know about them, especially if they were involving you. She had endured the taunts from the other students over the last two weeks and now everyone was here drooling over the chance to see the "odd couple" dance.
Soon everyone had arrived and received their number, afterwhich the competing couples had moved off to the side of the Head Table to wait their turn. Most of the couples were fellow 7th years as well, some of the teachers also were competing, but most had offered to judge instead. Even though the majority had offered to judge the affair, only a few were qualified, not surprising the Headmaster was an accomplished dancer as well as a great wizard. With Dumbledore leading the panel of judges, he was joined with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, all of whom were excellent dancers as well.
Raising his wand into the air Dumbledore signaled to the Hall for quiet. After a few minutes only crickets could be heard as everyone gave the Headmaster there complete attention. "Thank you each and everyone that had joined us for this first ever dance contest. I hope to have many more of these affairs in the future. Well, let us begin, first up, dancing to "Coconut"," glancing amusedly over his half-moon spectacles at the couple, "will be Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley!"
Hermione watched as Ginny and Draco walked out onto the floor, with Draco in the lead. Draco brought Ginny full circle arching around him till she stood facing him at which point she took his other hand. With a nod to Dumbledore, the music began. The guitar strummed, "Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime, His sister had another one, she paid it for a lime...." and they began to dip and sway to the music, keeping constant contact with each other. They're eyes never left each other as they shimmied to a slow beat continuing to dip towards to each other and sway. Watching them Hermione began to think that maybe something had sprung between the two of them, mentally making a note to ask Ginny later. Giving a sideways glance at the Weasleys, Hermione thought they also had the same thoughts as she. Their dance came to a steamy end as they came together, resting their heads against each other. Waiting a beat, Draco and Ginny bowed and curtsied to the Head Table before leaving the floor. That's when the score showed in glowing numbers as they were shot from the ends of each of the judges wand. 9.2,9.8,9.4,9.5, and 9.2 for an overall 9.42. The audience cheered for the couple recognizing the good score.
Hermione watch as each of her friends went up and danced, each turning out a worse score than the last. For all the good dancing in the world, without a decent partner, all you got were sore toes. Unfortunately for Harry and Ron both their partner were terrible dancers, netting each of them abysmally low scores. Harry and Pansy barely made it through the number they had chosen. Dancing to a big band piece, "In the Mood", Harry nearly dropped Pansy when he tried to hoist her up into the air as she kicked her heels above her head. Their dance came to an abrupt end when he attempted to swing Pansy around his back as he leaned forward. This maneuver landed them in a heap of tangled limbs, at which point Harry disentangled himself and left the floor, but not before he gave a look of disdain at Pansy who was sitting in a most unladylike position in the middle of the Hall.
Ron had thought he would play it safe and do a wizard's waltz, but Bulstrode just couldn't manage the intricate steps. Unlike the 1-2-3-turn of a simple waltz, the Wizard's Waltz moved to a much quicker pace. The Wizard's Waltz contained five steps that moved to the points of a pentagon at which point Ron would lift Millicent up in a hop with a twist in mid-air coming down and stepping into the next turn of the five step pentagon. Unfortunately whenever Ron tried to lift Millicent up, their combined weight prevented them from gaining any air for the hop-twist resulting in a twisted ankle for Ron and broken hip for Bulstrode as they too toppled over, landing with a crunching thud on the cold stone floor of the Hall. Chagrined, Ron tried to at least salvage the situation by assisting Millicent to leave the floor, but was shooed away by a huffing Poppy Pomfrey who had came out and levitated Millicent off to the side to tend to her hip.
Even their inadequate score that had resulted from their unfortunate injuries did little to abate the swarm of butterflies wreaking havoc on her nervous system. Trying to calm down some Hermione gave herself a last once over, straightening her dress with a final glance at her feet. 'What on earth happened to my shoes' wondered Hermione. Turning to Snape she was about ask this when she heard their names being called. Before she could utter two words Snape had grasped her hand and twirled her out to the center of the Hall.
Standing in the center, back to back with Hermione, Severus could feel all the eyes that had fixed on Hermione and him. Silently praying to the god of the dance that the spell worked, he waited for the music to begin.
Around him he heard the sound of clapping, that signaled the beginning strains of the piece they had used. Taking his cue he stepped away from Hermione and proceeded to strut around her, holding her hand in his till he had circled her with her own arm and was again behind her pressed against her back. Her left arm raised with his, came down slowly as he brought his hand down trailing along her body to come to rest upon her hip. His hand on her hip they began to move together. Seamlessly their feet moved in synchroniscity as they moved in quick short steps, their hips and shoulders mimicking the movements of their feet. Their faces turned towards each other they maintained eye contact slowly becoming oblivious to the rest of the Hall. Moving in time to the music Severus leaned into Hermione causing her to bend forward as they two-stepped in a backwards motion. Her head dipping with the motion of her upper body, Hermione's hair flared out in a fan like motion whipping back into Severus' face as she came back up to rest against his chest. Enshrouded by her hair Snape nearly lost sense of what they were doing and where they were they were doing it as the rush of raspberries invades his senses. Acknowledging the sudden pulse of desire that surged through him he pushed Hermione away with one hand while holding the other and spun her out so that they danced side by side continually rotating their hips as they dipped, swayed and sashayed across the floor. Pulling her back to him, they danced together facing each other, his hands on her hips and hers on his shoulders. Staring into her amber eyes, a desire that matched his own was reflected back at him sending a shiver through him as he took her by one hand, placing his other on her hip and thrust her forward, sending her spinning onto her back over the floor and around his body and back up again, grasping her leg as she hooked it around his waist anchoring herself as she stood up. Hoping that Hermione couldn't feel the pressure he was trying to deny, he released her leg, letting it slide down his side as he grasped her hand in his and pushed her away in a spin as he stalked along side her. Hermione spun out, her dress fluttering, showing off her now tone (from all those practices) legs and her hair whipped around as she kept her head erect focusing on the Headmaster to avoid getting dizzy. Just as she came to a stop, Snape had her back his arms sliding his legs between hers as they continued to glide across the floor unaware of the gaping mouths of the students and teachers that surrounded them. In a final dip, Severus held Hermione against his body for a beat before leaning her backwards one hand on her abdomen, the other supporting her back as the length of Hermione's body rolled back as her knees bent forward between his legs. Snapping back up, Hermione's eyes locked onto Severus', leaning forward into him as they heard the dying strains of music dissipate from the Hall. Blissfully unaware of their surroundings they came the end of their dance. As the last note of the music wafted through the room Severus cradled her in his arms as he brought Hermione down to rest on one knee his head bowed over her.
As if they were caught in a moment of time, silence followed the last strains of the music. All Hermione could hear was her own breathing and that of Snape's over her. Then it hit her. Pandemonium erupted. A tidal wave of applause washed over them as Snape gingerly lifted her back up into a standing position to face the sea of students and teachers who had been mesmerized by their passionate dance of choice. The greasy git and the bookworm could dance. Curtsying and bowing to each other then the Head Table, Snape escorted Hermione off of the dance floor, heads held erect.
Standing off to the side, Hermione tried to catch her breath overwhelmed by the rush of desire that was unmistakable in her Professor's eyes. She hadn't been wrong, he could not deny it again and felt the heady feeling of this kind of knowledge wash over her when she remembered her shoes. Taking a deep breath to control the raging mix of emotion that threatened to blindside her she turned to Snape and tapped him on the arm, and in a hushed voice, "What happened to my shoes?" as she pointed down at her feet.
Glancing down at her feet, he nodded whispering back "Hondgipon." Afraid to speak in more than one word sentences, Snape also was experiencing the myriad of emotions that would prove to be his undoing if he couldn't become master of his senses while in the company of Miss Granger.
Eyes widening at the implication, Hermione stared at him in disbelief. 'How could he cast a spell on my shoes?! I'm not so terrible, am I?' thought Hermione as she saw rather than heard her score light up the ceiling of the Great Hall. Before she could fully process what Snape had done, she was being captured in a great big hug. Looking around her everyone was congratulating her, apparently she and Snape had won. 'what kind of spell was that?' Hermione thought as she felt herself being pulled to the front of the Hall by a familiar strong hand.
Pulling Hermione behind him, Severus made a path to the Head Table, the students parting like the red sea. Arriving in front of the Headmaster, the Hall became quiet yet again as everyone turned in anticipation. Dumbledore at this point beamed as the couple approached, his eyes brighter than either had ever seen them before.
"Ahem with a near overall perfect score of 9.9, Professor Snape and Miss Hermione Granger are our winners in tonight's first ever dance competition. In honor of the first dance competition our winners will receive dinner for two at the Grape on the Vine in Hogsmeade. Let us have a round of applause once again for Professor Snape and Miss Hermione Granger!"
'Here we go again!' a voice screamed in Severus' head. Torn between delight and disdain Severus forced himself to show a look of resignation at the pronouncement of his 'prize'. Giving Dumbledore a look that clearly said 'You set me up', Severus accepted the prize on behalf of Miss Granger and himself with as much decorum as he could muster without making himself sick. Just as he was about to slip away, Dumbledore held him in place. 'Merlin, what is he up to now?' thought Snape as he watched him gesture to Hermione to come forward.
Hermione could not remain still, her feet kept tapping to the beat of the music that was still playing in the Hall. Now that the competition was concluded, the remaining students and teachers were mingling on the dance floor, some dancing around those that were not. Gradually, Hermione noticed an increasing area of the floor was predominantly covered by dancers encased by non-dancers. Looking around, Hermione realized that the Headmaster was motioning for her and Professor Snape to come join him at the Head Table. 'Whatever for' thought Hermione as she skipped her way over in the direction of the Head Table. Coming up behind Snape, she managed to catch the last comment made by Dumbledore, "An interesting loophole you found Severus, remarkable really."
"Good evening, Miss Granger. Well done.I must say that was an awe inspiring performance and may I add what lovely shoes you have on tonight." Dumbledore remarked as he peered over his half-moon spectacles before giving Professor Snape a slight wink. "Now I think that I will see if Professor Vector would care for a dance before I turn in." Silently nodding to Hermione and Snape, Dumbledore ambled off in search of Vector.
Watching Dumbledore move away, Hermione waited till she was sure that he no longer was in earshot before turning to Snape, her eyes slightly narrowing and asked him, "What is Hondgipon?"
Feigning ignorance, Severus grabbed her hand muttering, "Care to dance?" Not waiting for an answer, Snape tugged a reluctant Hermione back out to the dance floor. Encircling Hermione in his arms he lead her through the motions of a soft slow waltz, this time focusing on the students that were still courageous enough to openly stare at them. Feeling Hermione begin to relax, he risked a glance down at her to be chastised by the look of anger that still resided in her features. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he queried smirking, "Do you not want to dance, Hermione?"
"It's Hermione now, is it Professor? Should I call you Severus then, hmm?" came the cold reply as Hermione stared unflinchingly into Snape's oil black eyes. Ignoring the gasps she heard from the nearby dancers she continued, through gritted teeth attempting to smile for the benefit of those that were watching them, she asked her question once more punctuating each word, "What. Is. Hondgipon?" Pausing a beat, she noted his grip tighten around hers as she glared up at him, "Severus?"
Exasperated he pulled her closer as the next piece began so that he could talk to her without anyone overhearing him. Trying not to take notice of the way that Hermione was now pressing against him as they moved, Severus gathered what little control he could as he attempted to explain the way the spell worked. "Hermione, the 'Hondgipon' spell is not anything to worry about.well maybe." Turning slightly he could see the slight arch of her eyebrow as he continued, "All it does is tap into the dancer's natural ability to dance." Feeling her stiffen slightly at his words, he trudged on "If you had no natural ability, the spell would make you a worse dancer not a better one, besides the side effects are minimal."
When Hermione heard that she couldn't help herself as she pulled back abruptly to look at him more clearly. In doing so she caused them to lose their balance catapulting them into a disarray of limbs in the middle of the dance floor. Landing on the floor with a muffled "oomph", she peered up into his eyes giving him an apologetic look as he began to climb off of her amid the snickering students that had gathered around them. She watched as he shot glares at the offending students before he offered a hand to assist her back up. With his help, she stood next to him again getting the urge to dance yet some more. 'He said side effects.' Hermione thought as she voice her next question, "Umm, what side effects are there?" she whispered as she rearranged her dress following him off the dance floor.
The attention that Hermione and he had garnered had not been lost on him as he strode off the floor in search of a quiet corner to assess the possible damage that this night may have caused. Tonight's escapade will invariably whet the gluttonous appetite of the rumor mill for some time, albeit if Hermione did not stay away from him they will witness rather more than just dancing. He could still feel the soft warmth of her body as she nestled against them while they had danced, her sweet scent still clung to his clothes. Seeing no where to hide in the vast Hall, amazingly filled to every corner with a student or teacher, Snape decided to find sanctuary in his rooms and headed for the dungeons. Just as he was about to reach the door out of the Great Hall he heard her.
"Professor!" Hermione was not going to let him leave without telling her what to expect and how long to expect it from this spell of his. She didn't care that everyone was still watching her as she brushed past a group of teachers, all giving her amused stares. She needed to know.
Upon hearing her, Severus turned and faced her masking the turmoil of feelings that he was experiencing as he hissed, "What now Miss Granger?" Staring into her eyes, his resolve nearly crumbled as he took in the flush of exertion from dancing giving her a glow that was becoming irresistible. Straightening up to his full height he just waited as she appraised him, her eyes betraying the want that she had made known while they were on 'Fantasy Island'.
"Professor, what are the side effects and why did we not get disqualified?" Come to think of it, why didn't Dumbledore stop them when he seemed to know my shoes looked different. He had mentioned a loophole, what did he mean by that? Hermione contemplated this as she waited for Severus to answer her. Getting impatient as yet again her feet began to tap rhythmically to the music in the background, she arched her brow at her teacher in a silent demand.
Quietly Snape leaned in so that he towered over her as he told her matter- of-factly, "It's the Cinderella affect." Seeing she didn't quite understand he continued, "The Cinderella affect, Hermione, is simply just like in the muggle fairy tale. The slippers will draw out your desire to dance until the spell wears off at the stroke of midnight. Unfortunately the slippers can not be removed until the spell wears off. As for disqualification, Dumbledore sees the spell as a form of transfigured dancing shoes not an alteration of the dancer. And now if you don't mind I've had quite enough of the festivities for the evening. Good night Miss Granger." Turning, he left her mouth gaping, toes tapping with hours to kill. It was going to be a long night.
A/N: Harry Nilsson---Coconut, I liked how this song sounded when I was watching the movie Practical Magic and thought that it would be fun to put Draco and Ginny dancing to it. As for the big band music for the 'The Boy Who Lived" and Miss Parkinson, I had in mind "In the Mood" a Glenn Miller piece and Ron and Millicent, well no music came to mind actually, just tried to think of a dance that would be similar to a Muggle waltz but different enough to might pass for wizard, I hope you liked it. The dance scene between Hermione and Snape was inspired by many sources. Various clips of salsa dance, the movies 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Strictly Ballroom' ( I kind of thought of the music from the last scene for their music) and the video for 'In Demand' that I want to thank for the post of the link to so that I could see it.
I don't actually do much dancing, I hope I got the movements of Salsa style dancing correct, please let me know if I was wrong in describing it the way that I did. Thank you.
