Chapter 15

Dance Classes

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December was always a special month, knowing Christmas was on the way. Apart from Fifth and Seventh Years the rest of the school were preparing for Christmas exams so the Common room was became very quiet. The Fifth and Seventh Years gave the other years the space and respect they needed because in a few months they would expect the same treatment when they needed to study for their O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts exams.

Harry, Ron and Hermione loved the holidays at Hogwarts. The banners from the different houses were changed into decorations for the festivities. Hagrid would find the biggest trees in the Forbidden Forest and all the First Years would help decorate them. Professor Flitwick would use the decorating as a revision class of the Levitating charm, Wingardium Leviosa, "Just swish and flick" he called out to the students.

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One morning the dorms had woken up and found a message on their notice board about the Annual Yule Ball that was occurring on Christmas Eve. As the students filed out of the Common room, the school corridors were much nosier than usual over the new announcement. Girls discussed partners and new dress robes while the boys complained about having to dance in public and who would go with whom.

Before breakfast began Dumbledore had taken his place and had given the daily announcements it was only when he mentioned the dance classes for all students did he get a reaction. A mixture of groans and cheers were heard across the hall.

That evening the students from the higher years were all standing in the Great Hall. The tables had been removed and the hall looked a lot bigger. Harry hadn't seen Cho since the match and he silently hoped that she would go to the ball with him. He had turned down a few girls in hope but if Cho didn't show any interest towards him then Harry Potter was going to the ball on his own.

Hermione and Ron agreed to go with each other after an argument had broken out over who was the best dancer, they decided to prove each others point, and to do that they would go together but they were both secretly thrilled.

Harry stood and waited as the partners joined up together. He was happy to see that Cho hadn't moved towards anyone, there was still hope for him. His happiness turned to embarrassment when Malfoy shouted across the room about the great Potter not being able to get a date.

The remaining students started to pair off among themselves and Harry found himself in front of Cho and nervously shuffling he mumbled to her. She laughed nervously back and giving a slight quick glance over to Malfoy she nodded her head.

Malfoy grinned and said to himself, "Potter you fool. You wear your heart on your sleeve and love will be your downfall. You can't protect the world forever, sooner or later you will be caught off your guard and you won't have wimpy Weasley or geeky Granger to rescue then. The Dark Lord will finish you off once and for all."

He started to laugh so he tried to turn it into a cough.

"You alright Draco?" Pansy Parkinson Malfoy's girlfriend asked.

"Sure, just a tickle nothing serious" he responded kissing the top of her forehead to stop her asking anymore silly questions. He didn't care for Parkinson but she looked good on his arm and she was a pure blood but Malfoy had feelings for someone else, a much better catch.

"Why have Silver when you can have Gold" he thought as he watched Harry take Cho's hand and walk her across the floor to his friends.

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Dance classes continued twice a week after dinner but the dancing bug had hit the students. Every corner of the school had a couple practicing steps.

"It's not a dancing competition" Ron complained as he entered the Common room, "it's meant to be fun, how am I meant to enjoy myself if I have to count steps in my head and try not to stand on Hermione's feet. This is going to be a disaster, she thinks I can dance. Maybe I should be practicing after all"

Harry tried not laugh as his friend became more nervous about the ball. He hadn't told Ron that he was also doing extra secret dancing sessions with Cho in a room that was on the Third floor. It was called the Room of Requirements. Dobby, Harry's house-elf friend who he rescued from the Malfoy family back in Second Year showed Harry the room.

The room took the presence of anything the person required, all the person had to do was think about what they needed three times and a magic door would appear. Harry wished for a dance class style room. The room had wooden floors and mirrors were lined across the one wall so the dancers could see themselves. Harry promised that he would show Ron and Hermione once the ball was over.

One evening Harry and Cho were together in the room, they were dancing to a particular song when Harry started to think he would like the music to change to something slower and the candlelight in the room to become softer, the room responded to Harry's wish.

Feeling slightly embarrassed he let go of Cho's hands and apologised for forgetting that the room was charmed to do what the person required. Cho giggled nervously and Harry placed his two hands around her waist and gently brought her body closer to his. Cho placed her two arms around his neck and leaning her head on his shoulder, the two danced a lot slower. Harry hoped it would never end but he heard a sniffle coming from his shoulder. He stopped and Cho raised her head and a single tear fell down her cheek.

"What's the matter?" he asked

"I'm sorry," she sniffed, "It's nothing, I'm just being silly"

"Please, tell me what's wrong" Harry said looking straight into her eyes and his heart feeling it would explode with emotion.

Cho took a deep breath and sat down on the nearest chair leaving Harry standing in the middle of the floor, suddenly finding he had nowhere to put his arms he quickly stuffed them into his trouser pockets.

"It's just" Cho began, "I never realised I would ever be dancing again with someone else so soon after Cedric's death"

A pang of guilt hit Harry, how could he have forgotten about Cedric. He walked over to Cho and knelt down infront of her, he wanted to say something clever, he wanted to put his arms around her but as another tear fell he lifted his hand across her damp cheek and caught the tear.

"It will be okay" he whispered, "We are here for each other, and I'll never leave anyone hurt you again"

Cho gently nodded and placed her hand over Harry's that was now resting in his lap. He ignored the pain in his knees from kneeling on the hard floor and gently he turned his head to the right and kissed Cho softly on the lips. He hadn't realised he had done it, he waited for her to pull away and either slap him or run out of the room never to speak to him again but he found her responding to his kiss, and as he continued to kiss away all her pain he left behind his worries and fears for a couple of minutes of pure bliss.

Harry and Cho got closer and the whole school were talking about the new couple. Ron and Hermione were unsure about the pairing because of how she treated Harry before but Harry was in a good mood all the time compared to previous months, so they didn't say anything to him.

Harry was happy with the way things were going. The nightmares had stopped, he was spending more time in his own bed compared to the hospital wing and his classes seemed more manageable now that Cho was in his life. He had only been told off once by Professor Fox when he was caught writing CC 4 HP in a love heart instead of writing down information from the board. If it had been any other class he would have found himself in detention but he didn't care he would have done a hundred detentions for her.

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Harry had kept to his word about showing Ron and Hermione the room. He couldn't wait until after the ball.

"Let's see then," Ron said throwing down his bag against the wall one evening.

Harry told him to think of something and to walk up and down a bit, thinking if the item three times. Ron started to pace, his face scrunched up in deep concentration. Hermione gave a little scream when the door appeared in the wall.

When they entered the room everything was in orange just like Ron's room at the Burrow. The shelves were lined with books on the Chudley Cannons, posters covered every free space on the walls, broomsticks and the team's uniforms were modelled around the room.

"Whoa!" Ron gasped, his eyes nearly falling out of his head, "This is amazing."

"My turn" Hermione shrieked.

Once more the three friends waited outside, Harry explained that the room could be changed inside, they didn't have to go back outside everytime but as Hermione wanted to get the surprise feeling that Ron got they all went back out and closed the door. After a few minutes the magic door appeared and Hermione walked in.

"Rotten luck" Ron said shaking his head, "It didn't work"

"Of course it worked" Hermione snapped back, "Look at the shelves"

The room was darker, a small writing table and chair were in the corner of the room but the highlight of the room was the amount of books that lined the shelves. With gleeful shrieks she went through the titles and Harry and Ron stood by the door nodding in approval and support, whenever she stopped to take a breath.

All through dinner Hermione spoke about the room and the amount of research that could be done there, even Ron didn't enjoy his meal because he had, had enough of Hermione's voice and leaving her to talk to her dinner plate, himself and Harry returned to the room and thought about a sweet shop instead.

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End of chapter