A/N Sorry it's been so long but I've been busy! Here's the next chappy!
The music was one of Merrillee's favorites, the Dance of the Sugerplum Fairies from the Nutcracker. Fleur clapped her hands again and demonstrated a basic plié to the class. "Heels togezzer, toes tourned out! Excellent, Meess Laughingbrook! And Meester Malfoy, you are as good as a profezzional!" The pliés were far too easy for Merrillee, but she kept her mouth shut as she bent her knees further than any other girl in the class and almost any other boy, except that blonde that Harry had called Malfoy. Hermione was doing really well, and Ginny was too, but Luna didn't seem to be doing that well. Ron was messing up horribly, but Harry seemed to be doing ok.
After a few more pliés, Fleur turned off the music and explained how the auditions were going to work. Today she was going to ask them to perform different combinations and depending on whether they could do them and how well they did them, she would end up putting them in level Un, Deux, or Trois. Level Un was beginner, level Deux was intermediate, and level Trois was advanced.
"Efface au devant. Two plies, one rond de jambe a l'arriere, close in back. Repeat on ze ozzer side, then feenish wiz two temps leves and one tendu, close in front." Merrillee went to the center with everyone else. Lots of people, including Hermione and Ginny, did the simple combination perfectly since it was so easy, but some others had a lot of trouble. Ron could hardly jump high enough to get off the floor, and Luna's plies left lots to be desired. Fleur separated those who did well with the exercise with those who didn't (about half of the class didn't do well) and let those who didn't do well leave early.
She kept giving everyone else exercises. After a second set of three different exercises (which involved pirouettes, more complex petit allegro, and some supported promenades in pairs), she sighed and clapped her hands again.
"All right, I have made my deseesion. Everyone axcept Meester Malfoy and Meess Laughingbrook ees deesmeesed. You are all in Level Deux, and Meester Malfoy and Meess Laughingbrook, you are in Level Trois." Merrillee was disappointed. She'd hoped that she wouldn't be the only girl in Level Trois, but it had been painfully obvious during the supported promenades that she probably would be. Hermione had squirmed about while Harry's hands were on her waist, obviously uncomfortable. And the girl Malfoy had partnered, who wore the Hufflepuff uniform and had blonde pigtails, had nearly fallen over when asked to stand in arabesque and turn her heel.
As everyone else filed out, staring at the new girl and Malfoy together in the center of the room, Merrillee offered her new classmate a smile. He smirked back, pointing to her small pile of Gryffindor ballet clothes in the corner. "See you're a Gryffindor, eh, Laughingbrook?" he said. "I'll have you know I don't like Gryffindors." Merrillee didn't know what to say to that, but as Harry came out of the boys' dressing room, his nostrils flared. "You keep off my cousin, Malfoy," he said without thinking. Malfoy smirked wider. "So you're his cousin, eh, Laughingbrook?" he said slowly.
Merrillee smiled weakly, and it was a good thing that Fleur waved everyone else out the door for the two boys were staring daggers at each other.
"Now," said Fleur briskly, "you are ze two most talented danseurs in zis entire school! Eet ees very lucky zat we haff one talented male and one talented female, for we can do supported movements! Can you support a feesh dive, Meester Malfoy?" Malfoy nodded and placed his hands on Merrillee's waist. His hands were soft and strong from years of ballet, Merrillee noticed. As Merrillee performed a pirouette, Malfoy scooped her up easily in his arms, one hand around her waist and the other supporting her thigh, with Merrillee's head pointing close to the ground and her feet near Malfoy's head.
"Excellent!" Fleur cried. "Beautiful movements! I shall see we shall have a great amount of fun! You shall go now, and rest for class tomorrow at seex p.m." As Merrillee sat on the floor and slowly undid the green ribbons of her pointe shoes, Malfoy shot a look at her that could be interpreted as disgust—or maybe gratefulness. Pondering this, she removed her left pointe shoe and retreated into the dressingroom.
The music was one of Merrillee's favorites, the Dance of the Sugerplum Fairies from the Nutcracker. Fleur clapped her hands again and demonstrated a basic plié to the class. "Heels togezzer, toes tourned out! Excellent, Meess Laughingbrook! And Meester Malfoy, you are as good as a profezzional!" The pliés were far too easy for Merrillee, but she kept her mouth shut as she bent her knees further than any other girl in the class and almost any other boy, except that blonde that Harry had called Malfoy. Hermione was doing really well, and Ginny was too, but Luna didn't seem to be doing that well. Ron was messing up horribly, but Harry seemed to be doing ok.
After a few more pliés, Fleur turned off the music and explained how the auditions were going to work. Today she was going to ask them to perform different combinations and depending on whether they could do them and how well they did them, she would end up putting them in level Un, Deux, or Trois. Level Un was beginner, level Deux was intermediate, and level Trois was advanced.
"Efface au devant. Two plies, one rond de jambe a l'arriere, close in back. Repeat on ze ozzer side, then feenish wiz two temps leves and one tendu, close in front." Merrillee went to the center with everyone else. Lots of people, including Hermione and Ginny, did the simple combination perfectly since it was so easy, but some others had a lot of trouble. Ron could hardly jump high enough to get off the floor, and Luna's plies left lots to be desired. Fleur separated those who did well with the exercise with those who didn't (about half of the class didn't do well) and let those who didn't do well leave early.
She kept giving everyone else exercises. After a second set of three different exercises (which involved pirouettes, more complex petit allegro, and some supported promenades in pairs), she sighed and clapped her hands again.
"All right, I have made my deseesion. Everyone axcept Meester Malfoy and Meess Laughingbrook ees deesmeesed. You are all in Level Deux, and Meester Malfoy and Meess Laughingbrook, you are in Level Trois." Merrillee was disappointed. She'd hoped that she wouldn't be the only girl in Level Trois, but it had been painfully obvious during the supported promenades that she probably would be. Hermione had squirmed about while Harry's hands were on her waist, obviously uncomfortable. And the girl Malfoy had partnered, who wore the Hufflepuff uniform and had blonde pigtails, had nearly fallen over when asked to stand in arabesque and turn her heel.
As everyone else filed out, staring at the new girl and Malfoy together in the center of the room, Merrillee offered her new classmate a smile. He smirked back, pointing to her small pile of Gryffindor ballet clothes in the corner. "See you're a Gryffindor, eh, Laughingbrook?" he said. "I'll have you know I don't like Gryffindors." Merrillee didn't know what to say to that, but as Harry came out of the boys' dressing room, his nostrils flared. "You keep off my cousin, Malfoy," he said without thinking. Malfoy smirked wider. "So you're his cousin, eh, Laughingbrook?" he said slowly.
Merrillee smiled weakly, and it was a good thing that Fleur waved everyone else out the door for the two boys were staring daggers at each other.
"Now," said Fleur briskly, "you are ze two most talented danseurs in zis entire school! Eet ees very lucky zat we haff one talented male and one talented female, for we can do supported movements! Can you support a feesh dive, Meester Malfoy?" Malfoy nodded and placed his hands on Merrillee's waist. His hands were soft and strong from years of ballet, Merrillee noticed. As Merrillee performed a pirouette, Malfoy scooped her up easily in his arms, one hand around her waist and the other supporting her thigh, with Merrillee's head pointing close to the ground and her feet near Malfoy's head.
"Excellent!" Fleur cried. "Beautiful movements! I shall see we shall have a great amount of fun! You shall go now, and rest for class tomorrow at seex p.m." As Merrillee sat on the floor and slowly undid the green ribbons of her pointe shoes, Malfoy shot a look at her that could be interpreted as disgust—or maybe gratefulness. Pondering this, she removed her left pointe shoe and retreated into the dressingroom.
