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Chapter Eighteen
The next day passed quickly, with James and Sirius using every opportunity to hound Remus about asking Michelle. Every time they'd broach the subject, Remus would just smile and ignore them, before getting on with his work.
"Are you ever going to ask her, Remus?" James inquired in exasperation, as they sat down in the common room, having just completed another disastrous Potions lesson. Remus had managed to melt his seventh cauldron when he added boomslang skin to his concoction too early. The result had been that his green bubbling potion, which should have been orange, had melted a hole right through the bottom of his cauldron, before seeping out onto the floor and going everywhere. Fortunately, no one had been seriously injured. Well, no one except for Bellatrix, Sirius' evil cousin (and Potions partner).
She'd been sitting in the seat right in front of Remus, and hadn't had time to lift her feet up, before the volatile potion had burned a large hole in her right foot. Sirius had been delighted – not only had class been cancelled, but Bellatrix had been taken straight to the Hospital Wing, where she would have to remain for at least a month. Jennifer had suggested saving some of the potion, so that she could dump it on Danielle and Lucius.
"Look, James, why don't you just let it go? You've got a date; what does it matter to you if I don't?" Remus asked as he threw himself into one of the armchairs near the fireplace.
"We just want to know. After all, she said she likes you, and we know you like her, so why don't you?" Sirius asked, before James could respond.
"That doesn't matter," Remus said as Michelle entered the common room with Lily, Jennifer, and Grace. "Now shut up about it, will you?" he asked, indicating that the girl in question was about to join them, and he did not want to discuss his supposed lack of a date for tomorrow.
The next morning, Michelle, Lily, and Grace were once again woken up by Jennifer's singing. This had become a sort of ritual. Every morning, Jennifer would start singing in the shower, waking up the other girls. While Grace and Michelle had learned it was best to just get on up, Lily would yell at Jen before trying to go back to sleep. Jennifer would then do whatever it took to get Lily up. This morning, they were all woken up an hour earlier than usual, by Jennifer singing yet another Muggle song that no one else knew the words to.
I don't like to be alone in the night
And I don't like to hear I'm wrong when I'm right
And I don't like to have the rain on my shoe,
But I do love you
But I do love you
While Michelle and Grace simply grumbled before rolling out of their beds and beginning to get ready for the trip to Hogsmeade, Lily, as usual, stayed in bed. At first, Michelle thought she'd actually found a way to sleep through Jennifer's morning ritual, but as she approached Lily's bed, Michelle realized that the girl seemed to be growling. "JENNIFER SHARPE! WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP!" Lily shouted from underneath her covers.
Jennifer either chose to ignore her friend, or she simply didn't hear, because a second later, they heard her continue to sing. (A/N: I know this song didn't exist in the seventies, and that Leanne Rimes sings it, but I don't care!)
I don't like to see the sky painted grey,
And I don't like when nothing's goin' my way,
And I don't like to be the one with the blues,
But I do love you
But I do love you
Just as Michelle was trying to decide which top would look best with her bell-bottoms, Jennifer stepped out of the bathroom, a towel in her hair, singing. Grace groaned, "Jen, please, if you're going to do this every morning, could you at least pick a song we know?"
Jennifer just smiled and said, "What fun would that be?" before continuing her so-called song.
Love everything about the way you're lovin' me,
The way you lay your head upon my shoulder when your sleep.
And I love to kiss you in the rain,
I love everything you do.
Oh I do
And I don't like to turn the radio on,
Just to find I missed my favorite song.
And I don't like to be the last with the news
But I do love you
But I do love you
"I'm glad you love us so much, Jen, really I am, but could you please stop singing?" Grace asked as she began curling her hair.
"Sorry, Grace, but I've got to finish the song, or Lily dear will never get up!" Jennifer said cheerily, as she dried her hair with a spell, before singing again.
And I don't like to turn the radio on,
Just to find I missed my favorite song.
And I don't like to be the last with the news
But I do love you
But I do love you
Love everything about the way you're lovin' me
The way you lay your head upon my shoulder when your sleep
And I love to kiss you in the rain
I love everything you do
Oh I do
"Are you done yet?" Lily groaned from her bed. "I mean, I know you love singing about how much you're in love with Black, but do we have to hear about it too?"
"Tsk, tsk, Lily darling, I'm not done with the song yet! And I never said that I was in love with Black, did I?" Jennifer said as she put the finishing touches on her own outfit.
I don't like to be alone in the night
And I don't like to hear I'm wrong when I'm right
And I don't like to have the rain on my shoe,
But I do love you
But I do love you
But I do love you
But I do love you
Michelle stepped into the bathroom, as she heard Jennifer finish her song, before jumping on Lily's bed. Closing the door, Michelle heard Lily shout, "GET OUT OF MY BED!" A number of thumps and curses could be heard coming from the other room, as Michelle began putting on her makeup.
Walking back into the room a few minutes later, Michelle wasn't surprised at all to see that Lily's bed had been turned over on its side, and Lily was currently shooting curses at Jennifer. Jen was standing on Lily's overturned bed saying, "Oh come on now, Lily, why don't we just forget this little disagreement. After all, you've got to get ready for your date with Potter the Pansy, remember?"
Lily growled, "You idiot! It's not even time for breakfast yet!" Jennifer jumped off of what was left of the bed as Lily tried to get her with a Leg-Locker curse.
Finally, after a good thirty minutes of chasing Jennifer around the dormitory, Lily decided it was best to just go on ahead and get dressed. She came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later to find Grace, Michelle, and Jennifer waiting on her before going down to breakfast.
They met the Marauders in the Great Hall, where the guys were already digging into plates full of bacon and eggs. Remus looked up as they approached, and smiled as he saw who it was. "Hey girls. Ready for today?"
Jennifer snorted. "Of course we're ready. We would have been down earlier, if Lily weren't such a grump in the mornings." She said, as they took seats at the table.
Lily frowned. "Just because I don't like waking up to your voice every morning doesn't mean that I'm a grump. Why don't you try being quiet when you take a shower like normal people?"
"Normal is boring," Jennifer said, waving her hand dismissively.
Peter smiled. "Don't worry, Lily. Sirius sings in the shower every morning, too."
"If you can call that singing," James grumbled. He looked as if he'd had a rude awakening that morning as well.
"Hey!" Sirius said indignantly. "I happen to think I've got a quite lovely voice!"
"Right," Remus said in disbelief. "You're singing is enough to scare off a pack of wild hippogriffs, Sirius."
Sirius glared as everyone else laughed, and continued to eat.
"So when's this dance competition thing supposed to start?" James asked as they walked through Hogsmeade. It was snowing outside, and everyone was clutching their cloaks around them, as they hurried to whatever shops they wanted to visit.
"Five o'clock, I think," Grace said, checking her watch. It was only 11:30, so they had plenty of time to shop for Christmas gifts before the dance. "It's supposed to last about three hours, so we should make it back to school in time for the feast. Dumbledore postponed it so that everyone could stay for the end of the contest."
"Right," Lily said, grabbing Jennifer and Michelle's hands. "Girls, I think it's time for us to do a little shopping. We'll meet you guys at Honeydukes in about three and a half hours, all right? Come on, Grace, you'll see Peter later!" Lily dragged the other girls into the nearest clothing store, leaving the guys standing out in the snow.
A few hours later, after everyone's shopping was done, they all met back up at Honeydukes. After stocking up on sweets, Lily dragged James off to Madame Puddifoots, saying that if he wanted to go on a date with her, he'd have to do what she wanted to do, not just hang around Zonko's. James looked as if he was heading for the gallows. "But there's nothing wrong with Zonko's!" James whined. Nevertheless, he followed Lily.
Jennifer and Sirius disappeared not long after, though no one knew where they went. Peter blushed, as he asked Grace if she'd like to have lunch at this new café on one of the side streets. Remus turned to Michelle, and asked, "So, what do you want to do now?"
Michelle shrugged. "I don't know. I still haven't seen much of the village, so why don't we just walk around, and go from there."
Remus smiled. "That sounds like a good idea," he said. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he led her off to explore the village.
When four thirty came around, they made their way back to the Three Broomsticks, where Remus and Michelle joined the others at a large circular table near a window in the corner. The pub had been magically expanded, to include a large dance floor with enough space for all of the couples. There was also a band setting up near the bar. "Wow," Michelle said, as Remus pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down. "This looks great, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I can't wait for the contest to start," Lily said. She'd somehow managed to convince James to be in the competition with her. Looking around, Michelle noticed that while Grace, Lily, and Jennifer were all excited about the contest, none of the guys looked all that thrilled. On the contrary, James and Peter especially looked as if they were going to pass out with fear. In fact, Remus was the only one who seemed to be remotely calm.
A few minutes later, Madame Rosmerta stood up and announced, "Excuse me, witches and wizards, the contest is about to begin. Everyone who is taking part should move to the dance floor now."
Grace and Peter stayed sitting down, while Lily and Jennifer dragged James and Sirius to the floor. Remus stood up and turned to Michelle with a grin. "May I have this dance?" He asked, gallantly offering her his hand.
"Certainly," Michelle laughed, her blue eyes dancing as she took his hand, allowing him to help her to her feet. James, Sirius, and Peter stared at Remus in surprise as he led Michelle out onto the dance floor.
"Before we begin, I will tell you the rules of the contest," Rosmerta said. "All couples must be boy-girl, and you will leave the floor as soon as one of the judges," she indicated a few adults off to the side of the bar, "taps one of you on the shoulder. The competition will take place in twelve rounds. Each round, we will play a different muggle song. You must do the appropriate dance correctly in order to stay in the contest. When we are down to the last round, the final two couples will still be in the contest. Each couple will choose a different muggle song for the other pair to dance to. The couple that dances the best will win. They will also win fifty points each for their house. The dances will not all be modern ones, and not all of them will be British. Now, let's get started!" As Madame Rosmerta finished her speech and stepped down, the band began to play. Everyone who wasn't competing cheered as the music started.
The first dance was a waltz. Remus vaguely remembered how to do this one, and as they dance went on, the steps came back to him. Looking around, Remus was surprised to see that a number of Slytherins were dancing. "Look," he whispered to Michelle as they danced. "Snape's dancing. I can't believe he got a partner."
Michelle laughed, and saw that Snape was indeed dancing with a Slytherin fifth year girl she didn't know. The girl had long black hair, a haughty sort of look on her face, and was actually quite pretty. "He's actually doing pretty well." She said in surprise. She hadn't expected Snape to know any Muggle dances.
"Certainly better than James, though Lily seems to know what she's doing." Remus said, glancing to the center of the floor, where James was trying to waltz. Unfortunately, try as he might, Lily was leading, and James kept stepping on her feet.
Michelle laughed again, saying, "No wonder James didn't want to dance!" The song ended, with James and Lily being told that they were out of the contest. They and a few other couples were leaving the floor as another song started up.
Sirius and Jennifer lasted until the sixth round, while Remus and Michelle just kept on dancing. Remus was surprised that he actually knew the dances. He smiled when he saw the looks on his friends' faces, as they saw that he actually knew how to dance. Noticing the looks, Michelle leaned in to whisper to Remus, "I'm guessing you never told them about those incredibly embarrassing dance lessons our parents made us both take when we were little?"
Remus laughed as they danced to yet another waltz saying, "It must have slipped my mind. But they certainly do look shocked that we're still up here, don't they?"
By the end of the tenth round, Remus and Michelle were still on the floor, along with three other couples. They were the only Gryffindors left, along with Snape and his date, and two sixth and seventh year Ravenclaw couples. Remus recognized the two sixth years as members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, but he didn't know the other two.
Before the next song started, Madame Rosmerta stood up once more, and walked up to the stage. "Well, we're down to our final four couples," she said with a broad smile. "Before we begin the next round, I would like to inform you of a twist we've added to the contest. For the next two rounds, we are going to magically alter the clothes of our participants in order to suit the dances. I hope you enjoy the rest of the contest."
As she stepped down, the next dance started up. It was a Salsa. James and Sirius whistled as Remus and Michelle's clothes were changed. They both blushed as they began to dance, and Remus smiled at her, saying, "You look good."
"Thanks. So do you," she said with a grin.
At their table, Sirius turned to James as Remus and Michelle continued to dance. "I can't believe Remus and Michelle are still up there."
James nodded in agreement, looking at his friends on the dance floor. "I know, who'd have thought that Remus would be so good at dancing?"
"Personally," Grace said as she watched the remaining couples, "I'm more surprised that Snape and his date are still dancing. You'd think he wouldn't want anything to do with something Muggle."
"I know, that is pretty shocking, isn't it?" Jennifer said. "But at least Gryffindor's still got a chance to win. Remus and Michelle are doing great!"
As the eleventh round came to an end, both of the Ravenclaw couples were asked to take their seats, leaving Remus, Michelle, Snape, and Serena on the floor. Madame Rosmerta stood up once again. "All right, couples, we're down to the last round. Now, for this part of the contest, I would like to explain a few things. Each couple will select a different song for the other couple to dance to. The couple that completes both dances correctly will be the winner of the contest. We will give you five minutes to choose your song. Remember that the dances do not have to be British." She said to the remaining dancers, as she sat back down.
Remus and Michelle turned to each other, and he asked her, "So, what do you think? Which dance should we pick? Keep in mind that we've got to be able to do it too."
"I don't know," Michelle said. "I really think it should be something foreign. I doubt they'll know something that isn't British."
"Right, so the only foreign dance we both know is the Electric Slide." Remus smiled. "What do you think the odds are that Snape'll know that one?"
Michelle laughed. "I wouldn't bet on it. Do you think you can still do it? After all, you learned it what? Four years ago?"
"I think I can handle it. Besides," Remus said with a smile, "I can't wait to see what Snape'll look like in Cowboy boots." They both dissolved in laughter, as Madame Rosmerta approached them, wanting to know if they'd chosen a dance.
"We have," Michelle told her. "We've decided on the Electric Slide. It's an American line dance."
Madame Rosmerta nodded, and went off to tell the band. A few minutes later, she came back. "Miss Cooke, Mr. Lupin, you will perform the dance chosen by Mr. Snape and Miss Sinistra. When you have finished, they will perform the dance. Then, they will do the dance you picked. After that, you will also do your dance. Good luck to each of you,"
They both nodded, and then their clothes were changed once again. (I don't know what sort of clothes you wear when you're doing this sort of dance) The music started to play, and Remus realized it was a Tango. He smiled at Michelle. This was going to be a piece of cake.
As they moved out onto the floor and began to dance, they heard James, Sirius, Peter, and the girls cheering for them. She looks beautiful, he thought as he danced. At that moment, Remus decided to officially ask her to be his girlfriend. They performed the dance perfectly, and minutes later, it was Snape's turn.
He and Serena performed the Tango perfectly as well, and then it was time for them to do Remus and Michelle's dance. Everyone laughed as Snape and Serena's clothes were changed from fancy outfits to something that would look more appropriate in an American Rodeo. Both of them were wearing tight blue jeans, Cowboy boots and hats, along with thick belt buckles and silk shirts. James and Sirius howled with glee from their table, while Jennifer searched for her camera. Snape looked as though he might be sick from shame at any moment.
As the music began, it was immediately clear that neither of the dancers knew what they were doing. However, they were doing their best to fake it. Michelle and Remus did their best to hide their laughter as they watched from the bar while Snape twirled his date around, resulting in her losing her balance and falling to right to the floor.
"Now, we have our final couple, Michelle Cooke and Remus Lupin," Madame Rosmerta announced from her place behind the bar. "If they can perform the dance correctly, they will win the competition!" As Rosmerta said this, a loud cheer went up from the Gryffindors in the crowd, most notably James and Sirius, along with their other friends in the corner.
As they moved back out onto the floor, Remus leaned down and whispered into Michelle's ear, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Taking their places on the dance floor, Michelle whispered back, "I'd love to." She was blushing attractively as the music started. Michelle loved doing the Electric Slide, and it showed. She and Remus both performed the moves wonderfully, and it was obvious that they knew how to do this dance. James, Sirius, and Peter were all completely shocked at how talented their friends were at dancing.
It was clear to everyone in the audience that Remus and Michelle shared a good bit of chemistry, and it came out in the way they danced. The entire pub cheered them as they finished the dance, and Madame Rosmerta announced that they were the winners.
"Congratulations, you two!" Rosmerta said as she approached them, carrying a small trophy of a dancing couple. She shook both their hands as she gave Michelle the couple. "Now, I'm sure there's something the audience is just dying to know. How long have you two been together, and just how did you learn to dance that well?"
Remus grinned as he glanced at Michelle, and wrapped his arm around her waist before answering. "Well, we've known each other since we were little, but we've only been a couple for about five minutes. And our parents made us take dance lessons when we were eight."
Madame Rosmerta laughed as James and Sirius stood up and shouted, "KISS HER! KISS HER!"
Remus smiled, as Michelle turned in his arms and said, "What do you think? Should we give them what they want?"
He smiled wider and leaned in, whispering, "I think we can handle that." Then, he wrapped his arms around Michelle tighter than ever, and kissed her more passionately than he'd ever kissed anyone.
