Chapter 12
Hermione and Ginny were in the backyard, dancing to some music Hermione had brought. It was Mambo #5, a song she listened to quite frequently at home. Harry and Ron came downstairs to find their girlfriends dancing in short, black, jean skirts and satin-gold tank-tops. Then they started dancing to the YMCA, another famous song in the muggle world. "What is this!" Ron shouted, trying to be heard over the noise. Bill and Charlie had come home early, and joined the girls, and they were wearing boys sleevless gold-satin tops and black jeans. "It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!" sang the boom-box. Harry and Ron stood in front of them, watching in amazment. Bill and Charlie were throwing the girls up and down, and the four were doing all kinds of gymnastics. Bill and Charlie became spotters for what Muggles called cheerleaders. Ginny was a front spot, and Hermione was the flyer. She made a y, an m, a c and an a with her arms, and then did a flip down onto the ground, finishing the song. Ron and Harry clapped, as the two girls came over. "It's for the Hogwarts talent show this year." Hermione said. "Yeah. We talked to Dumbledore, and he thought it sounded like a good idea, to let some talent flow through the school." Ginny said, as they drank some water. "Yeah, my mum's gonna buy me and Ginny black uniforms with gold, ruby-red and white stripes, and they'll say Hogwarts! And there're white cheerleading shoes you can get, with gold and ruby-red punchers. You guys'll have the same stuff, except with pants and short-sleeve, instead of sleevless." Hermione said. "And we'll teach you the act." Ginny said, as they got back into place, Bill and Charlie behind them. They started the dance with a song called the Hamster Dance. Ron and Harry watched in amazement as Ginny, Hermione, Bill and Charlie did all these facinating moves. Hermione and Ginny took turns flying out of Bill's and Charlie's grasp, each of them going into back handsprings and flips. Ron noticed that All four kids were wearing white shoes with ruby-red and gold punchers, and the girls had the top part of their hair up in a ponytail with ruby-red hair ribbons. Harry looked up, and saw a banner hanging from the two windows to Ginny's room, which said ' Good Luck Hogwarts Cheerleaders '. Ginny saw Harry looking up. "Bill and Charlie made that. And, we have a whole squad formed already. We go back to school in two weeks, you know." she said, she and Hermione coming over by them. "Yeah. Fred, George, Katie and you two are on the squad, too. We need a flyer, Ginny; two bases, Bill and Charlie; backspot, Fred; frontspot, Harry; base-spotters, Ron and George; and two tumblers, Katie and I." Hermione said. "Yeah, so our squad's formed, and everyone else who's on the squad thats already at Hogwarts is practicing, too, so don't worry." Ginny said. They all went inside. "How'd practice go?" Mrs. Weasley asked, handing them each a plate with a sandwhich, carrots and dip and a piece of dark chocolate. "Great, mum! Our squad's formed, and Katie's owled us about practicing arrangements already." Ginny said. She and Hermione sat down at the kitchen table. "We've got three songs to do: opening act and I think the fifth act, and closing act, 'cause Katie's said the bails full, eleven acts total, and the opening and closing acts. But opening and closing are gonna be the same song." Hermione said. "Wait, why the same?" Ron said. "We're the coordinaters, we choose the songs." Ginny said. "Yeah. That one night we told you we said us three girls'd been talking bout you guys was just a cover up. We were planning for the squad and the talent show." Hermione said, she and Ginny laughing. "Yeah. Us three girls decided on songs and started rehearsing that night," "How! You guys were so cramped-" "Interuptions, Ronald! Anyway, we planned out the whole thing, but told Fred and George about it before they left." Hermione finished. "Yeah, and the show's the week we return to Hogwarts, so our uniforms'll be here next week." Ginny said. Mrs. Weasley nodded, as did all four boys.
During the next week, everyone had been practicing the three routines for the Hogwarts Talent Show. The only one who knew about their three acts was Dumbledore. Harry and Ron caught on fast with the routines with help from Bill and Charlie. "This outta be a blast!" Ginny said one day, when Errol, the Weasley family owl came flying down, crashing into a chair. "Errol!" Hermione exclaimed, picking his letter up from the ground. It was a letter from Katie.
Dear Hermione and Ginny,
I've recently spoken with Dumbledore, and he gave me the list of acts for the talent show, and I was also wondering about our uniforms. Fred's, George's and mine came at post today, but I'm not sure about your all's. Dumbledore also said that each house gets three acts, except for Gryffindor, which gets one extra act. Our house has the opening and closing (our squad), the fifth act (our squad), and one more left. Hufflepuff took the first, second and third act, Ravenclaw took the fourth, seventh and eigth act, and Slytherin took the ninth, tenth, and eleventh act, so that leaves us with the fifth and sixth act. Dumbledore has told me about the following students for acts in our house: Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan, making Neville float; Oliver Wood, flying around the hall; the Creevey brothers, taking pictures of Harry (as if); Gemma Actley, drawing pictures of people; and a music group, singing harmony. Dumbledore said that we should make a desision very soon, and has granted me permission for the people in each "act" to travel to the burrow tomorrow to show you their acts. I've already seen them, and some of them aren't bad. I particularly enjoyed Neville, Dean and Seamus' act, and the music group. But, the three've us have to agree, since we're the coordinaters of the show. Anyway, the act has been chosen as the music group. Hope to hear from you all soon.
- Katie
Hermione handed the letter to Ginny. "Hmph, sounds like a good turnout for Gryffindor. Katie said that she would allow the prefects for each house to select their three acts, so that shouldn't be a problem." Hermione said, as Ginny handed her the letter. Mrs. Weasley came outside with a large box in her hands. "I've got your uniforms." she said, dropping the box on the ground and going back inside. Hermione and Ginny tore open the box. The girls shirts were on-top. Hermione took one out, revealing it to them. "Wow! Did you guys pick that design?" Harry asked, sounding impressed. The girls nodded. Suddenly, Gracie started to cry. "Not to worry, I'm on it." Mrs. Weasley called from inside. Ginny took out the rest of the uniforms, and their new shoes. Everyone got into their uniforms for practice pictures. "Oh, and we have a photo shoot when we get to Hogwarts that day." Ginny said. "What!" Ron exclaimed. "Yeah! Dumbledore wants to have half of the Gryffindor post-board full of our pictures, 'cause our colors represent our house, and they also represent the school. So, that's what he decided on." Ginny said.
After their last two weeks of summer, it was time for everyone to go back to Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione said their good-byes to Gracie, and everyone got on the Hogwarts Express and traveled to Hogwarts safely. When they arrived, Katie, Fred and George were in the entrance hall, waiting. "Oh, thank God you're here!" she exclaimed, running up and hugging Ginny and Hermione. The three of them were in their uniforms, hair up and ready to go. "Our photo shoot's in ten minutes in the Great Hall. Go get changed, while we take your stuff upstairs." she said, as they hurried off towards the restrooms.
The cheer squad, along with Bill and Charlie, were dressed and ready to go for their photo shoot. Professor Moody was doing the pictures, while the whole school ate lunch and watched in awe. The teachers had been moved to the front end of the Gryffindor table, where that end had been moved to the back end of the Hufflepuff table. Bill and Charlie hoisted Ginny up into full mode high in the air, Harry spotting her in the front, while Fred held her by the ankles, making sure she didn't fall. Ron was holding Charlie's waist, while George held Bill's, and Hermione and Katie were in chinese splits in front of the tower. They all looked at the camera, smiling brightly for Moody. "Cradel." Bill said. The whole school, including the teachers, was watching. "One, two, down up!" Charlie shouted. Ginny flew up into the air, doing a flip, and then a toe-touch, landing in front of the bases with her hands up. The Great Hall broke into applause, all very proud.