Dancing

Ron Weasley growled in frustration as he tripped over his own feet for the fifteenth time, stumbling slightly he slammed his hands down on a desk trying to get all of the pent up emotion out. He flicked his wand at the old gramophone to the side, cutting off the classical music that it was playing. Pushing away he dragged a hand through his thick mop of ginger hair letting out a big sigh.

Ron wandered back to the start point he had marked for himself and took up the position, arms raised as if he were dancing with a partner. Another flick of his wand had the disk turning and out poured more classical music. Ron took another deep breath and then started, trying to teach himself the first dance for the yule ball.

A few minutes later and another stumble had the growl of frustration turn into a roar as he threw himself, completely defeated, into a nearby chair. It was useless and hopeless and he was only making a fool of himself by even trying. Hermione would never agree to go with him anyway so why was he even bothering? Last time she had gone with Victor Krum, and sure they were 4 years wiser, and they had kissed once, but it had been months since the battle of Hogwarts and since they had returned to school to complete their final year and nothing. She hadn't even looked at him differently, that kiss was simply 'were about to die'. She didn't want him as anything more than her friend.

A short, sharp, but not impolite cough interrupted his wallowing and Ron looked up slowly to see the new headmistress of Hogwarts stood in the doorway to the abandoned classroom. "Perhaps I could be of some assistance Mr Weasley?" the elderly teacher offered with a hint of a smile.

She looked at the dejected young man and felt him tug at her old heart strings; he shook his head in dismissal clearly having given up all hope. The more she looked the more determined she became to help him, she had always tried to aid the course of true love, after all James Potter hadn't been the first choice, or really the best suited, as head boy, but how else was Lily finally going to take him seriously?

"Nonsense!" she declared, striding determinedly into the room and stopping in front of him. "On your feet Mr Weasley! You are a Gryffindor, and I might not be the head of your house anymore but I will not see you, or Miss Granger, unhappy."

Ron had stood slowly, somewhat unwillingly, but at the mention of Hermione he snapped to attention. "I- I don't know what you're talking about Professor" he stuttered, bloody flushing his face scarlet.

"Of course you don't Mr Weasley, that's not why you're practicing dance steps by yourself. Now," she instructed, "come over here." He did as commanded, the sort of power an old teacher will always have over her student.

They danced a few rounds, and Ron only stumbled once on the bit that had been tripping him up for hours. Of course he found another stumbling block but she was right, as she so often was, and it was far easier to dance with a partner.

They took a break after an hour and Minerva could see that Ron was already far happier, he sat straight rather than slumped and he was smiling, despite the awkward nature of the situation.

"We are going to keep doing this until you get it right Mr Weasley," she declared smiling smugly with great amusement, "and then we are going to get you some new dress robes!"