* Dancing lessons *

Hugo looked at the invite in disbelief. A ball. Hogwarts was going to hold a ball in the winter and he knew for sure that this was going to be the worst for him. For a start, he had no idea how to dance. He knew he wasn't one for the music. And if he asked his mom or dad for help, it would be incredibly embarrassing. Then, there was the date issue. There was this particular girl that he really liked, a smart Ravenclaw who was in the same year as him, but he thought she was way out of his league and was too shy to ask her out. Still, he wanted to take a shot, so after giving it a lot of thought for a couple of weeks, he decided to seek for help. And who better to help him than one of his eldest sisters. He was happy Belle had taken some time off from her work that week. He knew she was the one to help him. When he arrived at her house, he was greeted by Belle's vomiting noises from the bathroom. He made a face and went to her. He held her hair and rubbed her back. When she was finished and felt better, they went to the living room.
"You want tea?" She asked Hugo. He shook his head.
"Are you sure you're alright, Belle? I can come another time or just... ask someone else." he said. Belle shook her head.
"It's a virus. It'll go away." she said, then sighed. "So... a ball." she said. He sighed and nodded. "Who are you gonna ask as your date?" she asked later, smiling a little. Hugo shrugged his shoulders and blushed a bit. Belle giggled. "Who is she?" she asked. Hugo sighed.
"Olivia Prescott from Ravenclaw. She's gorgeous! She has amazing brown eyes and soft black hair, and that incredible smile... and have I told you how clever she is?" he said with a goofy smile on his face. Belle giggled.
"Sounds amazing," she said. He sighed.
"She's way out of my league. There's no way she's gonna go with me." he said, looking down.
"Well, not with that attitude!" she said.
"Even if she says yes, it'll be a disaster. I can't dance!" he exclaimed.
"That's why you're here, aren't you? So we can make you as good as Fred Astair." she said.
"Who?" Hugo asked, confused. Belle rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Never mind." she said. She took out her wand and with a little wave of it, she moved the furniture from the living room. "Come on. Let's begin!" she encouraged him, taking his hand and leading him to the center of the room. She put his left hand on her hip and held his right hand up right. "Ok, now: we're learning the waltz, which is the main dance of the ball. First things first: you need to count to 3. 1...2...3...1...2...3..." she started. Hugo repeated the sequence in his head. "Once you get the 1-2-3 beat, you start. move your right foot forward on one." Hugo did as she told, the entire time looking at his feet. "then on two, step forward and to the right with your right foot, like making an 'L' on the floor with your feet." Hugo did exactly like she told him. "Great! Now, on three, slide your left foot over to your right and you will be standing with your feet together." she explained as Hugo slid her foot to the right. Belle smiled and looked at him. She then taught him the next three steps, showing him what's called 'the box step'. "Now. Let's do it again, but don't look at the floor. Look at me." she said. He nodded. With a flick of her wand, Belle turned on the radio and a soft waltz started to play. Hugo held her and repeated the sequence they had just danced. Little by little, he was doing it a little bit faster, and he soon was making his big sister twirl. When the music ended, they just stopped. Belle was smiling widely.
"I haven't danced like this since my wedding. You did amazing, Hugh. I'm sure you and Olivia will have a great time together." she said. Hugo smiled, shyly.
Soon after Christmas, Belle received an owl with a letter and a little box. The letter, written in his brother's wobbly handwriting, said:

"Merry Christmas, Belle!
Just wanted to thank you for your lessons. Olivia and I had a wonderful time at the ball. She even agreed to be my girlfriend. Can you believe that? Anyway, hope you and your family are having a great time and hope you like my gift.
Lots of love,
Hugh."

Belle smiled and opened the box. Inside it, there was a little white rose crystalised in a snowflake. She hung it on the Christmas tree with the rest of the decoration and jus smiled, thinking of her baby brother and how fast he was becoming an amazing young man.