CHAPTER THREE - "Dancing"
Sev was quiet for most of the dinner. Everyone else around them gossiped and talked Quidditch, but it seemed he and Martis were far away from the room around them.
For some unknown reason, her clutching his hand under the table seemed much more intimate, much more electric. Frankly, it made his skin hypersensitive. He could feel every soft patch, every muscle, every sinew, every bone in her hand. The warm pressure and texture of her hand. The energies and emotions she radiated outward.
It did not help she was wearing the Nag Champa perfume he had made her for Christmas; its heady, musky, powdery scent wafting in his direction every time she moved her head or leaned toward him.
It also did not help when they finished dinner and she scooted her chair so she could lean back against him, allowing him to draw his arms around her and hold her and inhale her scent; he had vague ideas but strong emotions involving them alone in the Conversation Room. Not to mention from that angle, he could look right down her bodice.
Damn it, he was NOT going to let his hormones run away again and get his hopes up. She may bravely talk about such things with him, but he knew she would recoil in disgust at his own ... stupid, perverse desires for her skin. Gods, how he ached to be able to turn her face around and kiss her, but knowing that the world would not be so forgiving if he did try to do so stayed his actions.
Whatever did happen to that crown he turned into mistletoe?
Dumbledore got up, gaining everyone's attention, and instructed everyone in getting up as well. Once everyone was on their feet, he swept his wand across the room, and the tables and chairs vacated the central areas and lined up against the walls. Another wave of his wand, and another dais appeared from the floor, this one with violins, flutes, guitars, piano, and drums arranged on it.
The evening's entertainment arrived. The Slytherins were mildly disappointed it was not SPEW (all hope of locating them had finally died that moment), but this group was just as appreciated.
WAM, short for 'Wizard-Aware Muggles' picked up their instruments. They were a collection of Muggle musicians who rivaled the talents and abilities of Wizarding musicians, and had somehow developed a friendship with Britain's famous Singing Sorceress. They were comprised of Michael Pendragon, Kenny Klein, Tzipora Klein, Joe Laquidara, and Gypsy Ravish, all of them either current or soon-to-be Pagan recording artists in the Muggle world.
The applause increased when Celestina Warbeck herself appeared, stepping gracefully in front of WAM and allowing her golden cloak to shrug from her shoulders to reveal a green velvet gown and her shimmery golden-red hair.
The opening number began, a chiming of bells that blended into a slow pulse-driven beat of drums and bass. The Champions and there partners got up, moving to the center of the dance floor as the song began:
"Magic, magic, magic
if you use your imagination
Magic, magic, real magic
is a doorway to the mind
Magic, magic, magic
oh, it takes a bit of concentration
With magic, magic, real magic
of a very special kind ... "
Sev felt Martis' hand clench his tightly. He could feel her aura glowing warm enough to sear through their clothes and brush against his skin. She was from a primitive magical culture, a culture that used song and music to communicate with the mana of magic and sculpt it to their whims. Song to her was what potions were to him; after all, her own family name translated as 'voice'.
"Here is how to cast a spell
to know what is to be
Throw a coin in a wishing well
and see what you can see
Or look inside of a crystal ball
with the art of divination
Listen to your inner voice
you will find the information ... "
The rest of the students and staff slowly joined the three couples on the dance floor; Dumbledore danced with Madame Meringue while Headmaster Flavert guided the surprisingly agile Headmistress Auttenbaum across the floor. Professor Sartoris paired with Madame Hopkirk and Professor Penderdandis took the hand of Madame Sykes. Professor McGonagall seemed quite adept at dancing with the one-armed Professor Kettleburn.
Sev raised Martis' hand to his lips then led her out to the dance floor with everyone else, both settling into a closed potion and swaying gently to the soft mezzo of Madame Warbeck.
"With magic, magic, magic
you can take your imagination
Magic, magic, real magic
through the doorways of the mind
Magic, magic, magic
you may find a lot of inspiration
With magic, magic, real magic
of a very special kind ... "
Martis had left her sunglasses on the table and was able to gaze up into Sev's face by candlelight. His own gaze was indecipherable, and yet she felt he was speaking to her in their silence.
"Magic is a mystery
as ancient as the sun
If you know your history
you'll see how far we've come
Let the Light surround you
there is so much to be done
Education, evolution
ascension to the One ... "
Sev knew people watched them from the darkness ... Igor Karkaroff gazing over the shoulder of Oriana Crescent ... the Marauders waiting to trip them or humiliate them ... the Quidditch team making sure their Miss Spirals was safe ...
And yet staring back into her moss green eyes washed away the self-awareness, her scent and skin and gaze and overwhelming trust filling his senses.
"True magic, magic, magic
go to stars and moons and constellations
Magic, magic, real magic
Universal Mind
Magic, magic, magic
you can use your imagination
Magic, magic, real magic
of a very special kind
Rainbows you may find
of a very special kind ... "
Martis felt the subtle shift in the Other World. Karma was being made, rewoven, blending. Things were happening that she could not recognize, things between them that she was certain would affect them within the near future.
"Magic, magic, magic
you can take your imagination
Magic, magic, real magic
through the doorways of the mind
Magic, magic, magic
you may find a lot of inspiration
with magic, magic ... magic ... "
The song faded to an end, and everyone separated and politely applauded. Another song, slightly faster and meant for real dancing, started up.
"Want to rest?" Martis asked, breaking the silence between them.
"No," Sev answered, his eyes narrowing and his eyebrows lowering. "Let's show Sneerius and his boot-lickers how to really dance."
Martis shivered in his arms. "Yes, my darling Snips."
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Black was slightly preoccupied with a small problem.
A small problem in the form of Lambchop the Inflatable Sheep wearing a red party dress and following him around, head-butting him in the hind end and 'baa'ing after him.
Sarah had left him during the first number and sought the company of the Beauxbatons males, obviously not wanting to associate with anyone who was the focus of an inflatable sheep.
It did not help that Potter and Pettigrew were laughing their fool heads off while Carrie and the Bag-Head Girl had abandoned them in favor of Ravenclaw males.
Lupin was dancing with Asenath, but was soon glad to be free of her so he could pursue Miss Britomartis for the dance she promised him.
Potter, meanwhile, turned his attention to Lily Evans and Michel de Nostradom (whom both looked quite happy dancing together as they danced a tango) and finally decided to drown his sorrows in butterbeer.
Igor finally dumped Oriana off on Vladimir Jovonovich and circled around the edges of the party, staring intently at Martis and counting the dances she shared with that Snape creature.
Just when he thought he had his chance, one of those Gryffindor boys had approached them.
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Lupin tapped Sev's shoulder at the end of a foxtrot. "I'm cutting in."
Sev and Martis turned to look at him.
Sev opened his mouth, "Eat - "
Martis placed her hand on Sev's arm. "I promised Mr. Lupin I would dance with him since he warned me about Sirius Prat's plan to annoy me."
Sev raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "All right." He cocked his head slightly toward Lupin. "Any funny business, 'Loopy', and I'll set your hair on fire."
Lupin smiled wanly. "Including my eyebrows?"
Sev twirled Martis around into Lupin's arms. "When the fire reaches that high, it might singe your eyebrows." He bowed and walked back to get a butterbeer.
Lupin delicately held Martis in his arms as a slow waltz began to play. "It is an honest arrangement, Miss Britomartis."
"It's your affiliation and lack of backbone that annoys him," Martis explained, curving her hand around his neck and clasping her other hand in his. "Otherwise, I think you two would get along wonderfully."
Lupin chuckled. "Otherwise, Miss Britomartis." He held her close as he swept her across the floor, passing by Black being chased by Lambchop.
Martis giggled. "I almost feel sorry for him."
"Well, you two did release that thing on the school."
Martis blinked. "No, Mr. Lupin, we didn't. I thought you guys did."
Lupin shook his head. "Innocent of that particular prank, Miss Britomartis."
"Then who released it?" she asked as her brow wrinkled up.
"Don't think about it," Lupin whispered, holding her closer and inhaling her musky scent and a new perfume that made him think of strewn cushions, warm languid air, and the soft sighs of a pleasured female ... "Just feel the moment."
Martis gazed over his shoulder and locked eyes to Sev the whole time she danced with Remus Lupin.
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Sev felt his insides boiling as he watched Lupin holding his Martis way too damn close. He KNEW that stupid closet werewolf wanted her. Most males did, of course, but this particular one annoyed him more than the rest. The bugger was probably enjoying his perverted fantasies while dancing with her. If those hands drifted anywhere away from closed position and into 'bad' positions, Sev was going to turn that Gryffie's head into a cabbage.
"Thinking Dark thoughts, Snape?" Igor asked.
Sev folded his arms and crossed his ankles as he settled back in his chair. "Sort of. I see you abandoned Crescent quite early."
"A complete bore - throwing herself at me like a common ... thing. Hard to believe she's Pureblooded at all."
Sev chuckled. "Miss Crescent fancies herself aristocratic Pureblood rather than average Pureblood."
Igor settled next to him and leaned close across the arm of his chair toward Sev. "On the other hand, there are a few Pureblood girls who truly are aristocratic."
"I don't do small talk, Karkaroff," Sev grumbled. "What do you want?"
Igor glanced around, then drew his wand out and cast a 'non-evesdropping' charm on himself and Sev. "The time is Nigh, Snape. He's going to show his power to the world soon."
"Who?" Sev asked in irritation.
"The Dark Lord, the one our families have sold us to. My father says all of us were born for the Dark Lord."
Sev nodded miserably. "I know too well."
Igor leaned back a little. "I am not much in the way of the material the Dark Lord is looking for. I have ... some abilities - "
"As we all do," Sev answered. "That is why we call ourselves 'wizards' and not 'tax accountants'. And these abilities will be exploited to the umpteenth degree, no matter how 'trivial' we think our abilities to be."
Igor snorted. "You're not comprehending the seriousness of the situation, Snape!"
"I'm comprehending it well enough - everything will go through the Nine Levels of Hell in a handbasket." Sev sneered. "So, when is it going to start?"
"Don't know yet, but it will be soon." Igor glanced at the dance floor. "Why do you ask for a schedule?"
"Things to do ... "
"Then best to do them quick. We will not be human much longer." His gray eyes lowered. "And I intend to enjoy the humanity I have left with the abilities that I have."
"Then enjoy it someplace else," Sev muttered. "Nothing more pathetic than a screaming rat when the ship sinks."
Igor lifted the charm and wandered off, while Sev got up and cut back in on Martis and the Marauder. "All right, Lupin, you've had two dances - get lost."
Lupin raised Martis' hand to his lips and kissed the skin gently. "Thank you, Miss Britomartis, it was a pleasure."
"Most welcome, Mr. Lupin," she answered, already moving toward Sev.
He released her hand and disappeared into the crowd. Martis fell into dance-step with Sev.
"Well?" he asked.
Martis smirked. "If it makes you feel any better, dear Snips, he only tried to peek down my dress once."
"Five times," Sev corrected her as they moved across the dance floor. "But that was only because he had to eventually blink."
Her expression became blank. "I was only joking. I didn't notice him actually trying." She giggled. "Always the quiet ones."
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The evening wore on. The twins and their dates broke into a Lindy Hop during a particularly rambunctious number, which resulted in the students and faculty pressing back away from them to avoid getting hurt (especially with the heels that Adonia was wearing when she sailed through the air around Johnny's body).
Black had tried to escape into the Rose Gardens to get away from the dress-wearing Lambchop, but she had followed him there and consequently both got caught by Hagrid who was doing outside security during the event. ("Seems you and this Rose Garden ain't nothin' but trouble, Sirius.")
It appeared sometime during the evening, Pettigrew had been zapped by a girl and leeks began growing out of his ears. Potter and Lupin spent the rest of their time trying to reverse the hex.
This still did not prepare anyone for the rest of the evening.
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Celestina Warbeck spoke: "As many of you may know, the Wizard Farookh Bulsara is doing quite well as the frontman for the Muggle rock band known as Queen - "
Several of the students howled and cheered.
She continued, "Dear Farookh had asked me to 'demo' one of the songs his band wrote which will probably be released to the Muggles in a year or two, so you have the pleasure of hearing it here first."
The bass played out a hypnotic backbeat, then the lead guitar and drums announced their presence to a slow rock ballad:
"Ooh, you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me
It's you, you're all I see
Ooh, you make me live now, honey
Ooh, you make me live ... "
It was a relaxed, swing-type of song, and Sev led Martis around the dance floor. (Quite appropriate,) he thought. (This Muggle group is quite insightful.)
"Oh, you're the best friend
That I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
oh, you're my best friend ... "
(Not again,) Martis thought. (There it is ... the chest tightening, the stomach clenching, the legs turning to gelatin, the heart skipping, the heat searing under my skin ... either I'm about to cry or have a heart attack.) She pressed closer to him, the escaped hair from his braid tickling her cheek as her nose just barely touched his and her eyes focused onto his.
"Ooh, you make me live ...
Ooh, I've been wandering round
But I still come back to you (still come back to you)
In rain or shine
You've stood by me, hon
I'm happy at home (happy at home)
You're my best friend ... "
(Too insightful,) Sev decided. (What are they doing in my head?) He wondered what Martis was reading from his eyes; as was, he read things in her own eyes that he could not understand but had seen many, many times. Only by careful analysis he could pick out trust, acceptance, compassion, unconditional love ... and yet there were two or three other things he could not puzzle out.
"Ooh, you make me live
Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you, to help me forgive - oo oo ooh
Ooh, you make me live now, honey
Ooh, you make me live ... "
Martis could not hear the song, the blood rushing and pumping through her veins drowned out all other noise. She wanted - needed - to tell him everything she had felt; it danced across her tongue to be let out. She would not have another chance - the air was electrified with the possibility of anything coming true and coming out good in the end.
As she convinced herself to finally tell him, she did not notice the song ending.
"Severus - " she breathed.
"Hm?" he responded.
The next song started up - a hard rock piece that caused several couples near them to shriek in excitement and shatter the Moment quite utterly and thoroughly.
Martis felt everything in her body stop then plunge into her stomach. No. The Moment had passed. "I need to ... powder my nose."
Sev nodded and released her, allowing Martis a quick getaway out of the Great Hall and to the girls' room.
A pair of gray eyes saw the figures separate, and decided to strike.
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