Chapter Ten (Oliver)

The night of the dance was insane. Me and Marcus, being the youngest professors there, were running around and picking Professor Flitwick up so he could pin things onto the wall of the Great Hall. Why he couldn't charm the shit up was beyond me. I think he actually enojyed bossing me and Flint around, seeing as we never listened to him and were the ones always making fun of his height and all, but hey! He's a bloody goblin. Not my fault he's short.

Now, I feel really bad for Marcus because sometimes he's got to boost me up while I'm holding Flitwick up. I'm like, 180 pounds. Really, and I'm not that tall - 5'10. Marcus is really going to hate me after this. Good God. What I was wearing... well, Jake picked it out for me: A plain black dress shirt, a 'magenta' over-coat, black dress pants and black shoes. If you asked me, I looked extremely hot. But that's just me. And that's all that matters. Because I'm cool. Not concieted, COOL! (A/N: This remind you of anyone? COUGHTREVCOUGH)

"Chris, you almost done?" I asked as I knocked on the Prefect's dorm, where Ginny was helping her get ready.

"Yeah, just wait for me in the Common Room," she replied. "Ouch! Gin!"

"Sorry!" I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Women.

I stood by the staircase with my hands in my pocket, constantly glancing at my watch. FINALLY, Christina came down the stairs and I knew why it took her so long to get ready. I couldn't talk. I couldn't look at anything else but her. I just stood there with my mouth slightly open, gaping at her like some moron who just saw a naked chick or something.

"Oliver? Are you okay?" She waved a hand in front of my face. Ginny huffed and kicked my shin.

"Ow! That was uncalled for, Ginny!" I exclaimed and pushed her away from me. She stuck her tongue out at me. I offered my arm to Christina and we walked out of the portrait hole.

"Hey, Jake. Have fun, you two!" Ginny called after us.

"Yeah, don't do anything while I'm gone!" I yelled back over my shoulder with a small smile forming on my face.

"So, you've taken Spanish dancing lessons, huh?" Christina asked me with a smirk. I stopped in my tracks.

"Who told you?" I asked. She giggled.

"Ginny did."

"Damn that girl. I can never trust her with anything."

"Don't worry about it. My mom's Spanish and made me take dancing lessons last year."

"I'm a bit rusty. Been three years since. Seventeen and couldn't make my own decisions yet. Bloody annoying, if you ask me."

"But you got your contract when you were seventeen. You chose that, didn't you?" Christina pointed out. I nodded my head and looked at her sideways.

"Have you been asking Ginny about my whole life, or something?" I asked. Christina laughed and we entered the Great Hall. We stared at the sight, then burst out laughing almost immediately. All the teachers were standing to the side and all the other students were dancing with each other. Marcus was the only professor out there and damn, did he look hilarious.

Me and Christina smiled at each other and we went out to the dance floor.

"Come on, Snape, this isn't called a teacher-student dance for nothing!" I yelled as I danced with Christina. He flushed and stalked farther away from me. I laughed and spun Christina around.

"You look good in pink," she said.

"Please, I look good in anything," I replied with a smirk. Christina laughed. We felt the music, I repeat! WE FELT THE MUSIC!

"Want anything to drink? I asked after about an hour. The music played non-stop. She nodded her head and we went to the refreshment table.

"Having fun, Wood?" McGonagall asked. I nodded my head mutely, handed Christina a goblet of red juice and helped myself to one. We walked out of the Hall, went outside and sat down on a bench looking out over the lake where I fell in my second year.

"What time is it?" she asked and leaned against me. I froze. Was she pulling a move on me?

"Uh..." I said and fumbled around with my watch. "Ten o'clock." She sighed deeply and adjusted herself. Unsure of what to do, I adjusted myself too and wrapped an arm around her. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but a split second later, my lips were up against hers. I didn't have control over myself. I have no idea what made me do it. I expected her to pull away, pour the juice over my head and slap me, but that never came. She leaned into me a bit more. Finally gaining consiousness over my brain, I pulled away from Chris and looked her in the eyes.

"Did Ginny tell you that, too?" I asked, uncertain. Christina smiled and leaned back into my chest.

"No. At least I know how you really feel about me, though." I gently kissed her forehead and looked out to the lake again.

"I think we should head back in," I said. "It's almost ten thirty." Christina nodded her head and we stood up. We walked back to the Castle together, hand-in-hand but let go once we entered the Great Hall again.

"Where were you?" asked a hyped-up Marcus.

"Outside," I replied. "What's wrong with you?"

"Too much juice. I really need to go to the washroom and Padma's stalking me."

"Then go!" I pushed him out of the hall.

"Where's Marcus?" Padma Patil asked five seconds later.

"Washroom," I replied and laughed as Padma shrieked and ran out of the Hall.

"Let's go dance!" Christina said enthousiastically as a slow song came on.

"Again?" I groaned. Christina pulled me by the hand out into the dance floor. I wrapped my arms around her, being very consious that all the teachers were there. Being the Typical Christina, she paid no attention to her surroundings whatsoever and laid her head against my chest. I cleared my throat.

"There are professors here, you know," I whispered gently in her ear. She immediately stood up straight again and slapped my arm for laughing.

Me and Christina walked back to the Common Room together, with my arm around her. When we entered, guess who we saw? Jake and Ginny on one couch, Ron and Hermione on another and Harry and a girl named Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw on the last couch. I rolled my eyes, pulled my arm away from Chris to get my wand, conjured up a whistle and blew it. Ron fell off of Hermione and Jake off of Ginny. Harry hit his head against Luna's.

"You guys are pathetic. Harry, what did I say about bringing people from different houses?" I asked with my arms crossed. "Jake, Ginny... I have nothing to say to you two. Hermine, you just left your dear Professor Snape alone in the Great Hall."

"Oh, be quiet, Oliver," Hermione growled. I clasped my hands together and smiled.

"Bed time. Good night, Luna, see you in DADA tomorrow morning, best be off before any of the professors get back." Luna quickly left the Common Room with a small murmur of 'thanks'.

"Come on, off to bed," I said and pushed everyone up the stairs. "Shut up. You'll wake everyone up," I scolded Ron. Ginny and Jake went off to the prefect dorm and Harry and Ron up the two flights of stairs to the Sixth Year boys dorms. I walked with Christina until we were outside of her dorm.

"Night," she whispered. I smiled and gently kissed her cheek.

"Night."