Hello everyone. This is the final chapter in my story. It's been a lot of fun to write it plus that my writing skills are less rusty now. I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as I do!
Care for a winter dance?
"Whoa…the hall looks stunning" muttered the female in awe. The candles had been replaced with some orbs that had a golden glow. Another change was the stone floor. It looked like it was made out of wood. McGonagall was probably the one responsible since she was the transfiguration teacher. Last but not least were the windows. All of them were covered with purple curtains. Lily looked up at the ceiling to see if that had been changed as well.
The ceiling was still the same. It featured a clear sky with stars dotted all across it. "Please line up in four rows with no more than ten pairs each. I want the youngest at the far left. The oldest are going to stand at the far right. The boys will stand at the right side of each row" told the older woman. She was wearing a rich brown long-sleeved maxi dress. Her hair was in its usual hairdo. Her skin was a bit smoother than usual. 'Maybe she's put on some magic wrinkle cream' pondered the girl. She knew that there were a number of magic creams that could make your skin smoother or less oily. However, those effects were not permanent.
Albus Dumbledore stood right next to her. He wore silver grey robes plus a short matching hat. "We should move over there" told the male next to her. "Yeah. We're one of the older students after all" agreed the Gryffindor. She moved with him towards the rightmost row. Many seventh year students had lined up already. Most of the girls seemed excited, while nearly all of the guys looked a little apprehensive. Some of the few exceptions were Sirius and one of the Hufflepuff boys.
'Hm…looks like many of the houses have mixed partners. That's interesting' noticed the female. She saw a Ravenclaw boy standing opposite to a sixth year Gryffindor girl. The redhead spotted a Slytherin boy with a Hufflepuff partner to their left too. There was no Slytherin – Gryffindor pair in sight though. "Good afternoon everyone. I am pleased to see that so many of you decided to sign up. We're going to start with the waltz. This is a dance that is highly popular. I hope that all of you will try your best to learn the steps. Remember to be on your best behavior as well. This especially goes for the boys. Dance is a useful skill to know. Especially at weddings or family anniversaries" informed the transfiguration teacher.
"I dunno. I don't wanna dance with my aunt Tessie" muttered one of the Weasleys who stood nearby. The redhead let out a small snort when she heard it. "All right, it's time to begin. Professor Dumbledore was nice enough to be my partner for tonight. We will go through the steps first. Next, we are going to put together what we have learned. The proper dance finds place during the last thirty minutes. There will be a ten minute break between every hour. Any questions?" inquired the older female. "No" told a number of the students while the rest remained silent.
"Very well. The boys are going to extend their right hand first" started the Gryffindor head teacher. Her partner extended his hand with a polite smile at his face. She took his hand before placing her right one at his shoulder. "The girls are going to place their left hand into your partner's hand. Place your right hand at your partner's shoulder. If he's a lot taller than you, rest your arm at his upper arm" instructed the woman. The students looked at the pair as they started the dance.
"I want you all to take a look at our footwork. The man takes a step forwards with the left foot. This means that the woman has to step backwards with her right foot. If the height difference is significant, the tallest must keep their steps shorter" informed Dumbledore. Many of the taller guys nodded in agreement. Crushing their partner's toes would guarantee a ticket to the hospital wing.
The couple then took a step to the right before they stepped backwards. "Step two is to take a step to the side. The man steps to the right while the woman goes to the left. Next, the woman takes a step forward. This means the man must step backwards" continued McGonagall. Most of the students concentrated as they tried to move right. James was glad Sirius gave him some lessons earlier on. The teenager knew the basics, but needed to work on his feet. "The men must step to the right now. The woman has to step to the left. I think it's time for us to do some practical demonstration rounds. Please find your partners so we can begin" told the older man. There was a glint in his dark blue eyes.
"Here we go then" muttered Lily as she stepped forwards. She placed her hand at her partners shoulder. He placed his hand at her waist. "Is my hand too low for you?" muttered the inky-haired male. "Not really" replied the female. She laid her hand into his. It was warm, but not clammy. A small buzz went through her body. It felt like she had just eaten a fizzing whizzbee. The redhead shook her head a little while she thought about their task. "Now, let's move together. We will move at a count of four" instructed the elderly man.
'Right. This is crunch time' thought the male as he looked down at his partner. "One – two – three – four" counted the woman as she glided across the floor. The pair moved a bit slow so the students could mimic their motion. 'OK. Just do the same as you did with Sirius' told the Gryffindor to himself. The guy moved across the floor. He took a somewhat small step forwards with his left foot. His partner was about ten inches shorter than him after all. 'CONCENTRATE! Don't step at her feet!' thought the guy as he stepped to the right. "Whoa! Could you please take a smaller step?" asked the female. He nearly slapped himself for not remembering his longer legs. "Right. Sorry Lily" apologized James. He took a small step backwards when he saw her leg moving.
Dumbledore clapped, and everyone stopped moving. "Let's do this a couple more times. I must say you're looking more like fairies than trolls" informed the older male. Everyone laughed at the comment, which eased the tension. "One – two – three – four" counted McGonagall while she danced with her partner. 'Why do I feel so comfortable at this? I don't have much dancing experience after all. Especially in the wizarding world' pondered the female Gryffindor. Her prior experience consisted of a cousins' wedding plus elementary school. Maybe it was the setting. She was not dancing with her jokester cousin who was five years older. Nor was her partner a ten year old boy who loathed this. Today, the female was doing waltz with a guy. A guy she actually had feelings for. So why did not those feelings make the dance a more nerve-wrecking experience? 'Snap out of it girl. Think about the dance' told Lily to herself as she stepped forwards.
"Aich!" hissed Alice as her partner stepped at her foot. "Sorry. I'm not so good at dancing I'm afraid" apologized her male partner. "That's fine. I stepped at you earlier" replied the female with a smile. Remus chuckled as he took a step to the side. The blonde was glad she had picked someone who was not snooty or cocky. 'I have to admit one thing though. That Black boy certainly got the moves' observed the girl as she glanced at him. There was no doubt Sirius had done this many times. His legwork was excellent for starters. The teen was able to lead his female partner as well. The same could be said about her friend. Mathilda was dancing like a pixie with her partner. That was quite a feat since her male partner was nearly a foot taller than her. Secondly, he was strong enough to break her wrist with ease.
"Please stop everyone!" said McGonagall after she stepped away from her partner. Her voice shook the blonde out of her reverie. "Very well…I must say that you did better than expected. We're going to put on some music now. It's time to put together everything we've learned. Any questions?" inquired the woman. One of the Gryffindor girls raised her arm. The transfiguration teacher gave her a nod. "Are we allowed to do some extra steps? I was thinking about twirls or stuff like that" asked the brunette. "You are, but only if you are comfortable with the steps we just learned. Any other questions?" told the female.
The auburn-haired guy smiled when he saw Sirius do a small fist pump in happiness. He was more than comfortable with his steps. Remus wished he had done the same. That would make it easier to get a girlfriend. 'Then again...who wants to date a monster like me? I may even kill her if I'm unlucky' thought the guy. Suddenly, Lily's voice then echoed inside his head. 'You're a normal person 27 or 28 days out of a month. And your normal self is a guy who is kind, funny, sensible as well as aware of what others feel. Or at least I think so' replayed the feminine voice.
The sad expression in his eyes faded away gradually. 'One thing is for sure. James is surely a lucky guy' thought the Gryffindor. "Remus? Do you want to dance?" inquired a female voice. He glanced down at his petite partner. "Uhm…sure. I'm not up for the slow or very fast songs though. Don't want to squash more toes than necessary" laughed the male. "Same" agreed the Ravenclaw girl.
Lily tried to keep her feet right as she moved to the music. A part of her wanted to look at her partner's feet. The other part wished to look at his face. 'Why are my emotions such a mess? Is it because I have feelings for someone else?' thought the girl. Bright green eyes glanced around in the room. Sure, the Gryffindor female did receive a fair number of cards on Valentines. Only a few of them were from guys she found interesting though. Her mind wandered to her former good friend Severus. He had changed quite a lot since their childhood days. Said change was not for the better. There was no secret what kind of magic he liked. Furthermore, the guy had grown colder over the years.
Could it be that the female had feelings for some of her classmates? It could not be any of the sixth year students. Most of them already had a girlfriend, or were interested in someone else. Her mind then shifted at the boys in her year. She found most of the Ravenclaw boys to be a bit snooty or slightly boring. Half of the Hufflepuff guys were already taken. The other half was more friend material than romantic interests. The males in Slytherin were surprisingly kinder than expected. Gerald and Joshua had both helped carrying injured Quidditch players to the hospital wing. This included players that were not at their team. The rest of the boys however…that was a different story.
Her thoughts moved to the boys in her own house. Peter was a bit too much of a coward. Nor did he have the same interests as her. Sirius was quite charming, but was on bad terms with his family. They did not like muggle borne wizards or witches either. Then was the sensible guy in the Marauder gang. He was a nice person who enjoyed studying. His condition could be dangerous though. The girl did not have any prejudices to werewolves since she was a muggle. However, he could hurt her or pass down his condition to his child.
All that was left was the Potter. He struck her as annoying, cocky, lazy or a combination of those things. 'Do those traits still apply to him though?' asked a voice inside her head. A small slide show of recent events then passed through her mind. She recalled the time she met him on his way to the library. Then was the honest compliment about her being the top student. Her body reacted a certain way when he gave her a compliment or physical contact too.
'Why does my stomach flutter when he tells me that I'm a top student? It did not happen when Remus thanked me for telling-'. Lily then realized why she reacted. Everything made complete sense now. She had fallen in love with James Potter. 'OK. Keep it cool now Lily' thought the girl while the music changed. She glanced up at the male in front of her. His hazel brown eyes were looking a little to the sideways. The Gryffindor looked down at her. "Uhm, we don't have to dance to this song if you don't want to" muttered the guy with a flustered look at his face. "Err…I'm fine with it actually. But we can sit this one out if you want" replied the redhead.
Suddenly, there was a small spark in his eyes. "I'm fine with it. Really" answered the inky-haired guy with a slightly hasty voice. She took a small step closer while her heart beat increased. The female swallowed the small lump in her throat as she felt his arm wrap around her lower back. Her legs moved in a slow motion while the music created a soothing atmosphere. Her mind was racing. Was she going to kiss him now? Or maybe let things work out? 'I suppose I can just see what he does. I'll play along if I want it' decided Lily.
"You look...magical in that dress. Gold is a great colour for you" muttered the guy. She glanced up at him. His hazel brown eyes had a sincere expression in them. His cheeks were slightly pink. "Thanks. You look really handsome without those glasses covering your eyes" told the female with a smile. "Yeah. They can be in the way sometimes. For example when I do this…" whispered James as he bent down. Her heart beat so fast that she feared that her rib cage would burst. She felt his lips touch hers briefly while the song came to an end. A rush of energy bolted through her system. It felt like someone had given her electric shock. "Uhm – thanks" muttered the Gryffindor while she looked up at him. "You're welcome Lily. Do you want to join me for the next dance?" inquired the male. "No thanks. I think I just want to sit down with you" replied the girl with a big smile.
"Looks like someone got lucky" stated Mathilda. She was heading for the girl's bathroom with her friend. The duo had just seen the red haired girl kiss her partner. "Mhm. They make a good couple though. Wonder if they will stay together after graduation" pondered Alice. "How's your partner? Is he any good at the dance floor?" asked the other girl. "He's all right. Neither of us are professionals like you are though. I hope Gerald isn't too much of a challenge" replied the younger female. "No, he's surprisingly coordinated. He asked me to join him for the all-house Quidditch training next week. I decided to say yes. There won't be doing much training during the holidays after all. So why not put in some extra before the break?" admitted the reddish blonde female. "Good luck then. Oh, I better ask Remus if he wants any of that cocoa. I know he's addicted to chocolate. See you later" told the ashy blonde after she spotted the refreshment table.
She weaved her way through the crowd before she reached the guy. "Hello Alice. How are you?" inquired the guy. "I'm a little thirsty actually. Do you want any of the cocoa they're serving?" inquired the girl. "Sure. I'm in for something warm as well" told Remus with a smile. His partner nodded before she lined up. These events were really nice despite that there was a slight tension in the air. Not only was it due to the relationships between the houses. There was no denial that a possible wizard war was arising. It felt a bit weird to have people partying while others were hiding.
"Hello. What can I get you?" inquired the house elf behind the counter. "Uhm – two cups of that special cocoa please" replied the Ravenclaw. The elf nodded before he poured the 'magical cocoa' into two cups. "Here you are" told the creature. "Thanks" answered the female. A somewhat upbeat song started to play. More couples decided to enter the dance floor. Ice blue eyes glanced around in the search for her dance partner. She spotted him talking with Peter. The teen thought he was a a bit shy. Furthermore, there was something about him that made her a bit wary.
"Here's the cocoa Remus" said the girl as she approached the duo. "Thanks Alice. Cheers" told the male with a smile. "Cheers" replied Alice. She sipped some of the cocoa before she noticed the aftertaste. "OK. I THINK I just found out what they meant with magical cocoa. Mine tastes like chili!" laughed the auburn haired guy. "Hm. Mine is more like cinnamon. Thanks for being my partner tonight Remus. I really enjoyed myself" told the female. "Same. Do you want to join me for another dance?" inquired the male. "I think I've had enough. Two rounds of waltz plus one round of poor disco dance is enough. Especially when you have shoes like mine" stated the blonde. "I agree. I guess I'll see you at the charms lesson next week. Sleep well Alice" replied the Gryffindor. "Thank you. I hope you sleep well too" told the girl.
"Heeey Remus! How did your dances go? I hope your partner isn't leaving with smashed toes" laughed Sirius as he approached him. "Nah. We both decided to call it a night. I had a great time though. Haven't danced with a girl who wasn't in my family for a while" admitted the guy. "Great. How're you doing Wormtail?" inquired the male. "N-not too bad really. One of the Hufflepuff girls danced with me a little earlier" stuttered Peter. He wasn't that good at dancing, but he made up for it in effort. "Good. Have you seen Prongs anywhere?" inquired the male. "No. I think he went to speak with Lily" answered Remus.
"Hey guys" greeted a voice from behind. The trio turned around when they heard it was their friend. He was holding hands with Lily. "Hey there. You two were doing a great job at the dance floor" told the inky-haired guy. "Thanks Sirius" told the girl. "Do you want me to tell them?" inquired James. She nodded her head. "All right. We won't join you for our Three Broomsticks dinner at the next Hogsmeade trip" told the guy. "Why?" inquired the shortest male in the group.
"Because we having a date" replied the female. "CONGRATS Prongs! Looks like your hard work paid off!" exclaimed his best friend with a huge smile. "Congratulations James. Same goes for you too Lily" told the auburn haired male. "I hope you have a good date" said the Pettigrew with a shy smile. "Thanks guys. Maybe we should call it a night?" suggested the tallest male in the group. "I second that. Let's celebrate with some butter beer at our room" told the Black.
The group of friends left the great hall. A number of students passed them on the way. All of them looked tired, yet happy. 'Hm?' thought the red haired girl as they passed a window. She noticed something dancing in the air outside. Bright green eyes glanced through the window. Snow was falling down from the sky. Most of the grounds outside were covered in a blanket of ice. 'It looks cold out there. Thank Merlin I'm feeling warm inside this castle' thought the girl with a smile.