Ceilidh
A/N: This is where the fun begins with Albus' lessons. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one. Thank you Ang for being my beta reader.
Chapter Three: The Highland Barn Dance
It was quarter to seven that evening when Minerva stopped what she was doing and looked around her living room. She had moved the big pieces of furniture to the side of the room and had made them smaller to accommodate her plans for the evening. There was a large space in the middle of the room. They would be able to dance without bumping into everything or breaking anything. Minerva did some damage limitation by taking some of her more valuable items into her bedroom. She knew that even with her careful rearranging of the furniture something was still bound to be broken.
She had told Albus to be in her rooms at seven and she knew he would be prompt. He had been telling her over dinner how much he was looking forward to learning the dances. He had always been eager to embrace the Scottish roots of Minerva and her heritage. He saw this as the perfect way to do so. His eagerness concerned her a little bit as she knew that Albus could get over excited at times. His playful side would take over and he could get a little silly. She loved him dearly but sometimes, he did push her a little bit too far.
Minerva had arranged the music and now was just waiting for Albus to arrive so she could start the tune floating through the air. It was music by a local Ceilidh band that played at the family's dance and it mixed well with the waltz tune that accompanied the dance she was going to teach him tonight. She had decided to teach him a new dance every three nights. Hopefully he would pick up the basics by then. Her family would forgive him if he wasn't very good but they would expect him to at least try.
Minerva cast her mind back to a McGonagall Ceilidh from a few years ago. Her brother, Rex, had brought his girlfriend with him. She had seemed pleasant enough but she had refused to join in with the dancing because it wasn't her thing and she didn't want to look stupid. The family had been hurt by her words and Rex was asked politely to remove her from the house otherwise they were bound to hex her for insulting their tradition. His girlfriend hadn't been happy and had declared that the family was weird and eccentric. She had stormed out thinking Rex would go after her but he didn't. He stayed and enjoyed the party.
A knock on the door broke into her thoughts and she glanced at her grandfather clock. It was exactly seven o'clock. She opened the door and saw Albus standing there with a huge grin on his face. She looked at his face and then his robes caught her attention. He was wearing an orange, green and purple tartan set of robes with bagpipes sewn on all over it. The mix-match of colours made Minerva's stomach do a somersault. He had tried to look the part but she wished he hadn't.
"Hello, my dear," said Albus as he walked inside. "I can see you're admiring my robes. I might wear these when we go to your party."
"Well we don't wear robes to a Ceilidh, Albus," she told him, thanking her family for their traditions. "We wear traditional Highland wear but not the formal wear."
Albus nodded. He had no idea what the difference were between formal Highland wear and informal Highland wear but he had complete faith in Minerva. After all, she knew what she was talking about.
"I am ready for my lessons," he declared as he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked into her eyes. "It's been such a long time since I was a student."
"Well if you behave," she answered with a smile "I won't deduct kisses from you."
"I will be the most behaved student you have ever had," he told her before pressing a gentle kiss on to her lips. "So, what are we learning today?"
"The Highland Barn Dance!" she told and smiled when she saw a bewildered look appear on his face.
The Highland Barn Dance was usually the first dance of the night and all guests who were in a pairing had to dance it. The couples had to line up around the room in a clockwise direction with the women always on the right. It was the easiest dance out of the three to teach and that was why Minerva had decided to teach him that first.
"Take off your shoes and those robes darling." She told him it would be easier to teach him without any shoes on and also it wouldn't hurt so much if he trod on her feet.
Albus did as he was told and then watched Minerva slip her own shoes off and place them on the floor out of the way. She was wearing a flowing navy colored cotton dress with a v-neck that showed him a small piece of cleavage. He thought she looked wonderful but then she always appeared that way to him.
"You know," said Minerva "it's wrong to drool over the teacher, Mr. Dumbledore."
"Sorry!" he mumbled with a shy grin as he moved into the center of the room. "It won't happen again."
"Oh, make sure it does because I like it," she told him as she kissed him.
For a few moments, all thoughts of dancing flew out of the window as they both got caught up in the kiss. Minerva reluctantly pulled away and rested her forehead against his chest and smiled softly. She would rather continue kissing him than teach him to dance.
"Right," she said purposely "let me get on your right side."
Albus stood still as she moved around to his right side. She held his hand as her other hand flicked her wand and music started to play. It was rather catchy and Albus was already tapping his foot in time with it. Well, he had been in time until the beat quickened and now he was rather lost.
"Albus, start with your outside foot" she told him.
Albus looked down at his feet and then wiggled his outside foot as she told him to walk forward for three steps and then hop. He did as she asked and smiled. This was easier than he thought but then he realized that he hadn't brought Minerva with him and he turned back to see her standing on the same spot. She smiled as she pointed the spot beside her and Albus walked back to join her. They walked three steps together and then hopped.
"Now we repeat that as we walk backwards!" she informed him.
They walked backwards and hopped, Albus narrowly missed stepping on her foot and Minerva released the breath she had been holding without realizing it.
"Now we skip away from each other," she explained. "You move into the center of the room and I move to the edge. We only skip for two steps and then clap!"
"Okay," he answered. "Erm…how do I skip?"
"It's like a fast walk but you bring your knee up slightly. Watch me," she explained as she showed him.
Albus did watch her at the beginning but his mind wandered to something else as he watched her skip. Her breasts were bouncing slightly as she moved up and down and Albus couldn't help but watch them.
"Do you mind?" she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You are supposed to be watching my legs, Albus!"
"I couldn't help it," he told her. "The movement reminded me of something else."
Minerva tried to glare at him but she didn't have the heart to. She actually found his suggestive comment funny but she had to teach him these dances. She explained the instructions again to him but refused to show him how to skip again for the moment. She was actually impressed with him so far. The movements were easy when you were doing them one by one but as soon as you joined them together that was when the trouble started.
"Now we return to one another and slip into a waltz movement but we bounce as dance around the room," she explained as she skipped towards him.
Albus skipped towards Minerva but missed her hands when he went to pull her into the waltz movement. He tried again and missed her again and ended up crashing into the bookcase. After several more attempts he managed to catch her and take her in a waltz around the living room. Bouncing around the room together posed difficult for Albus, and Minerva concentrated on making him ease up and relax a bit. She reminded him that he was doing this for fun and that he didn't need to frown with concentration.
"But if I don't frown," he told her "I lose my step!"
Minerva stopped him and cupped his face. "No one will watch your feet darling!"
"I don't want to show you up," he told her.
"Darling, you couldn't," she told him softly.
Albus smiled and kissed her before they walked through the dance again before trying to put it all together in time with the music. As Minerva had predicted, Albus had a difficult time putting all the steps together but she hadn't expected it to come to him straight away and she was impressed with his progress so far.
"I think we should call it a night," she told as she led him over the couch and pulled him down beside her. "You did well, darling."
"Hmmm thank you!" he answered as he brought her feet to his lap and started to massage them softly causing Minerva to purr and close her eyes.
"Only two more dances left to learn!" she mumbled as she felt herself dozing off to sleep.
To be continued
