CHAPTER 8: BUTTER MY TOAST

Harry and Ron exchanged strange looks as Hermione walked out of the Great Hall, but were interrupted when Professor McGonagall suddenly stood up at the staff table and cleared her throat.

"Ahem." The students immediately went silent and looked up at her. "I would like to inform all of you, Hogwarts students, that we will be having a dance, come this next Thursday."

Because we know that Hogwarts puts on dances so often, right?

Everyone in the Great Hall oo-ed and ahh-ed.

"Only fifth years and above will be allowed entrance to the dance unless you are accompanied by an adult," Professor McGonagall smiled weakly at them all, "Thank you," she said, and with that she sat down.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, gigantic smiles on their faces.

"Ron, would you like to-"

"YES!" Ron exclaimed, pulling Harry into a hug before he could finish his question.

Ginny opened the door to the Sixth Year boys' dormitory, her breathing hard, her hair a mess and grinned slightly as she walked out.

"There's going to be a dance on Thursday after classes," a Slytherin girl exclaimed as she ran past her in the common room, squealing with her friends about what they would wear.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. A dance? Now this could be fun.

Ginny turned to look at Draco, who was slowly buttoning up his shirt by his bed in the dormitory and smiled at him, "Did you hear that?"

Draco smirked, "Yes, I did."

Ginny raised her eyebrow, "... And?"

Draco looked confused, "And what?"

"Well, aren't you going to ask me?" Ginny exclaimed, folding her arms across her chest.

Draco looked at her sympathetically, "Gin, darling, you know I can't bring this thing we have out into public! What would our parents think? What would your friends think? What would my followers think?"

Ginny looked at him with sad eyes, "But – but - I thought you loved me!" she said, slightly hysterically.

Draco laughed a little, "Love you? Ha! You are just too darn cute; of course I don't love you!"

Ginny looked appalled, "You stupid, ignorant, beautiful, little-" she was cut off as Draco smirked at her one last time and slammed the door.

Draco laughed as he slammed the door in the face of the young girl. "Stupid, silly, little girl," he said to himself, "If it's anyone I love it's that beautiful Mudblood Granger." He whistled a little and shook his head, "Too bad that can't get out into public either," he sighed to himself, "I guess I better ask Parkinson... again." And with that he took a deep breath and stepped out into the Slytherin common room, glad to see that it was Weasley-free.

Draco walked slowly across the common room to the girls' dormitories just as Pansy Parkinson walked out of it.

"Draco!" she squealed as soon as she saw him.

"Hello, Pansy," Draco said seductively, causing Pansy to giggle, "I had a question for you."

Pansy looked into his eyes. "Yes?"

Draco took her by the waist and pulled her into him. "Will you go to the dance with me?"

Pansy giggled shrilly and said, "Yes," just as their lips met.

Those poor girls.

I mean, lucky girls.

I mean stupid girls.

Well, all of the above, actually. Draco is quite handsome, is he not?

"Are you ready, Wormtail?" Voldemort grinned a horrible, evil grin as he looked up from the parchment in front of him and dipped his quill once more in the black ink.

Wormtail gave what he thought to be a wonderful smirk (in actuality he only looked like he had gas) and said, "Yes, my Lord, I am indeed ready."

Voldemort grinned even more and put the quill to the parchment for the last time, sprawling a name across it before picking it up and holding it in front of him. He squinted at it for a few seconds before turning to Wormtail.

"For Merlin's sake, Wormtail, give me my glasses!" he exclaimed, holding his hand out to Wormtail, "Darn this old age..."

Wormtail ran to the other side of the room and picked a pair of large glasses up from a table in the corner before running back across the room and holding the glasses out to Voldemort.

The Dark Lord turned his head slowly to him. "Will you put them in my hand, please?"

Wormtail squeaked a little bit, "Yes, my Lord, forgive me," he blubbered, placing the glasses gently in Voldemort's hand and curtsying.

"Thank you," Voldemort said cynically, placing the glasses on his face and once again holding the paper out in front of him. After reading through it a few times he took the glasses off again and rolled the parchment up.

"Wormtail," and Wormtail came bounding up to him, "Put my glasses back on the table, get me two pieces of wheat toast and send this letter to Harry Potter at once! Our day is finally here!" he exclaimed, pointing a fist of victory into the air.

Wormtail gave him a somewhat strange look and turned to do what he was told, but stopped cold when he heard his Master's voice once more.

"AND FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, BUTTER MY TOAST BEFORE YOU BRING IT TO ME!"

Harry looked through the glass out onto the snowy grounds, a grin creeping onto his face. "Look at them all, walking as if nothing were about to happen." He craned his neck backwards to look at Ron, "How ignorant of them. Little do they know I am about to vanquish Voldemort!" he cried and gave a high pitched laugh.

Ron raised his eyebrows. "You know, buddy, you may want to watch out; you're beginning to sound a bit like him."

Harry shrugged.

Ron raised his eyebrows.

Harry shrugged again.

Ron shrugged.

Harry shrugged.

Ron shrugged.

Hermione, who had just walked into the common room holding a letter, shrugged.

Ron shrugged, "What's that?"

Hermione shrugged, "A letter for Harry."

Harry shrugged, "From whom?"

Hermione shrugged.

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"No, really," Hermione shrugged, "I don't know."

"Oh I see." Harry walked over and took the letter from her, unrolled it and began to read. "Dear Mr. H. Potter, you are cordially invited to the first annual Hogsmeade Archery Contest. You and others will fight for the championship. Please be in Hogsmeade at four-thirty PM today. The best of luck, someone who is running the Archery Contest, certainly not Voldemort, or any Death Eaters," Harry finished reading and he looked up at Ron and Hermione, "I've got to go!"

Ron snatched the letter out of his hands and read it over himself. "No," he said at last, "It's too dangerous! I don't want to lose you!"

"Nonsense," Hermione grabbed the paper from Ron and handed it back to Harry, "It sounds like it's just an innocent little contest for fun and I'm sure Harry can win. If he wants to go I'm one hundred percent behind him."

Ron looked at her completely baffled. Wasn't it Hermione who was always saying how dangerous everything was?

Ron opened his mouth to fight back but suddenly Hogwarts suffered a major power outage! The candles blew out, and the sun shut itself off. All was dark.

"Ow," Hermione said, "That's my foot! Who is that?"

Seamus' voice was heard, "Sorry, hold on let me get us some light." And he proceeded to take a flashlight out of his pocket and click it on.

Hermione sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you all that those don't work in Hogwarts!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry," Seamus said, and then proceeded to click the flashlight off again.

They all sat in a dark silence for a few moments, twiddling their thumbs and tapping their feet.

And more twiddling.

And more tapping.

And some more tapping and twiddling.

And even mo-

"Hooray!" they all exclaimed as the sun turned itself back on and the candles lit themselves once again.

Hermione looked puzzled, but everyone else was having a grand time in the light. Harry and Ron danced around with others in the common room while Seamus sat playing his flute and tapping his foot on the ground to the beat.

Lalala lalala lalala LAAALAAA went the flute.

Suddenly, Harry jumped onto the table, punched is hand into the air and said, "I'm going to that contest and I'm going to win! I don't have time to destroy Voldemort today, perhaps tomorrow?" he said to Ron, who held a planner open in his hands.

Ron looked down a list, "Well, I suppose you could squeeze it in between tap dancing and pretending to take a nap in the common room while you're actually with me," he said and Harry nodded.

"Yes, that works fine," he jumped off of the table, "And now, to the contest!"

And everyone cheered and danced with him out of the common room and down the Grand Staircase and through the Entrance Hall and the Great Oak Doors, out into the sunny sunshine and skipped merrily into Hogsmeade.