Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter.

Rena winked at her niece. "This one seems to be a bit more than a friend, dear."

Hermione blushed, and said, "Maybe."

Blaise looked at her, and smiled wickedly. Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved him. Harder than he had anticipated, apparently, because he flailed about for a moment before gaining his balance, and pouting at Hermione.

"Oh suck it up, princess."

A snicker at the door alerted the group of another presence. A small girl – tiny, really, only 5'0" – stood leaning against the doorframe.

"Nice to see who wears the pants in that relationship." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey Pix." Hermione said, affectionately shortening her cousin's nickname of 'Pixie*'.

"Sup, Fai.** Who're your friends? Oh, you're cute", she said, referring to Draco.

"Excuse me?" Draco said sputtering. "A Malfoy is never cute. He is sexy, hot, handsome, sometimes even referred to as gorgeous, but he is never cute."

"Fine." Carmi sauced. "You aren't cute, you're adorable. Oh, I could just squish those baby cheeks of yours. Look at the cute baby. Isn't he sweet?" She cooed, making hand motions with her hands as if squeezing baby cheeks.

"I think I preferred 'cute'", Draco muttered aside to Blaise.

"Hey Mom, d'you have my –"

"Here are your rice cakes, hon. And here are a few bottles of water."

Draco and Blaise gaped at the bottles. "Those are huge."

Carmi peered down at the bottles of water in her hand. They were normally sized to her, but then, she'd been using the bottles for years. She supposed she'd just grown used to the size of them.

"Oh. Yes, I suppose they are rather large. Hey Mina", she said, turning to address her cousin. "I may have accidentally blabbed to the team that you were going to be coming to school here for your junior and senior year."

"Carmi…"

"Oh hush you", she scolded playfully. "Anyway, they all remember you from the summers we've hung out, and they want you to join the team. And before you say no, just come to one practice, and see if you don't like. Actually", she said, checking her cell phone for the time, "I have practice starting in – five minutes?" She shrieked. "Shit! I'm going to be late! Come on!"

"I'm beginning to understand where your mate got her foul mouth", Draco muttered to his friend.

Grabbing Hermione's hand, she hit speed dial number two on her phone and raised it to her ear. "Morgan, hey! Look I'm going to be late by about two minutes, so if you could just distract Coach for me…? Really? You're a doll, Morgie, thanks! Oh, hey! If you could mention to her I'm bringing Mina, soften her up a bit… How far am I now? Mmm, I'd say 30 seconds from the girl's locker room. Yup, I'm just about to change. You see Coach now? Go talk to her, distract her! 'Kay, see ya in a few."

A/N: So the way, I have it is that Carmi lives about two minutes from the campus, so it's easy for her to get to school.

Once Carmi was all changed she grabbed a spare leotard from her locker and threw it at Mina. "Here, put that on." Seeing her cousin's face, she added, "Mina when I said come to a practice, I meant actually take part in it. Now come on. I have a minute before I'm late!"

Carmi and Mina tied their hair back as they entered the girl's gymnastics training room right on time. The rest of the team had gathered by the water fountain, gossiping and waiting for their second captain. They looked up as both Carmi and Mina entered the room tying their hair back. Carmi had tamed hers back in a tight fishtail braid. Mina had simply pulled hers back into a high ponytail. Mina was wearing a dark purple leotard that was slashed through with a lighter purple. Carmi was wearing a black and blue leotard that fitted to her body perfectly.

Carmi grinned at the rest of her team. "I believe you all know my cousin Mina."

Laughter rippled through the group. "Thought so. Now, what are you all standing around for? Stretches!"

As the rest of the team hurried to comply and find space on the mats, Carmi looked over at Mina. "What are you waiting for? Go join them."

Hermione looked at her cousin. "You're not coming, then?"

Carmi winked. "Perks of being one of the captains, love."

Walking up to Hermione after practice had ended, Carmi held out one of her water bottles and face towels. "So what do you think? You interested?"

"That was intense", Hermione breathed out. "I loved it! Where do I sign up?"

Darcy (the coach) walked up to the two. "Normally you'd have to hold an audition for myself, and our two captains", nodding at Carmi and Morgan, " but I remember you from our summer practices, Granger. And even if I didn't, after watching you keep up with one of our most difficult training routines, I have to say, I'm impressed. Welcome to the team."

Mina grinned. "Wicked."

Darcy turned to address Carmi. "Don't you have dance in five minutes, Lei?"

Carmi's eyes widened. "Shit, shit, shit! Not again!"

Darcy shook her head. "Go. I'll call ahead to Mark that you and the other girls may be a bit late. Should I tell him to expect an extra, then?" She asked, looking at Hermione.

Carmi looked at Hermione. "You interested?"

Hermione thought it over. All that was waiting for her back at Carmi's were Blaise, Draco, and Aunt Rena. Although spending time with her kooky, loveable aunt would be fun, she'd have to put up with an over-protective Veela and another Veela who had yet to get to know his mate. Yeah, she was good staying with Carmi and the others.

Hermione nodded. "Why not? Can't be worse than dealing with Blaise and Draco."

Carter grinned. "You say that now, but I'd love to see you saying the same thing after one class with Mark. You'll never be the same."

Walking into the dance studio, Hermione was slightly wary after all she had heard of Mark from the girls. When she'd asked if she needed to wear anything in particular, the only response she'd gotten was a pair of small Soffee shorts thrown in her face by Morgan. 'Keep your leo on.' She'd been warned. 'You'll be burning with just the leo and shorts at the end, anyway.' So Hermione entered the studio with the rest of the girls, and was amazed at the studio. This was the studio? It was so small!

Carter laughed at the look on Mina's face. "Don't let Mark catch you with that face. He hates the studio, too, but he's the only one allowed to comment on it."

Mina nodded.

(Now I realize that I've been switching back and forth between Hermione and Mina, and I'm just going to stick with Mina, and any other nicknames she may have/receive throughout the story from different characters.)

Mark entered the studio. His was a quiet entrance but he automatically drew the attention of the inhabitants of the room. He walked straight up to Mina, circled her, looked her up and down, and nodded, proclaiming, "She will do."

Morgan and Carter high fived the other. "Yes."

Mina looked from the instructor to Carter and Morgan and then finally to her cousin. "I take I've just been accepted onto the team then?" She asked drily.

Mark clapped his hands. "Now ladies, this session is hip hop. Are there any among us who know even a little?"

Hands went up sporadically throughout the group of girls. "Good." Mark acknowledged. "Why don't you give us a little taste of what I would like each of you to be able to do for this performance." It wasn't a question.

Six or seven girls walked to the front. Morgan and Carter were among them. They beckoned to Carmi. "Carmi, come on! Don't make us do the routine without you!" Carmi laughed and joined her friends at the front. Mina watched her cousin hold up a finger, run to her bag and rummage through it, and hold up a CD triumphantly. She jogged quickly over to Mark, handed it to him, and whispered in his ear. Joining the rest of the girls at the front of the room, she stood in front of the first row. The rows were layered in a pattern of 2-3-2. Carmi looked at everyone in the room and said, "Usually dance doesn't require much of an explanation – well not our class anyway –" ripples of laughter through the room as each girl remembered being thrust into brutal routines with no preparation, "but we're going to give you one anyway. Morgan, Carter, take it away!"

Carmi faded into the back row as she listened to her friends explain the dance to their peers. "Right, so this dance focuses on the harmonies that are always underlying the main melody in a good group performance. We wanted to highlight on the little moves in this dance. Choreographed by one… Miss Carmi Lei!"

"And inspired by Carter's complaints of violists never having the melody in orchestral pieces!" Carmi piped in from the back.

"Oh, this should be interesting", Mark muttered, shaking his head.

Each girl fading into her row, they nodded at Mark who pressed play on the stereo. The music was soft, but grew louder steadily. A bass started the first harmony followed by a violin. Then a cello, and lastly a viola. The melodies were contrasting, but they worked. A guitar riff replaced the classical music, then booming drum beats. The girls' bodies moved fluidly in the first row of two. The row of three moved jerkily, like a semi-oiled machine rusting quickly. The last row stood still, not moving. Then they burst into hurried movement, doing cartwheels, back handsprings, and standing back tucks. The group separated, each row doing different movements that should have clashed but didn't. Above the guitar riffs and drumbeats, the viola and violin melodies soared, each playing a different melody. Ending their dance with each girl close to the floor in a different position, there was silence and all that was heard was the performers labored breaths.

Mark rose from the back of the room and clapped.

I've decided to end it here. It's almost one in the morning and I'm exhausted. Reviews are my crack.

*Pixie is Carmi's nickname from when she was little. She and Mina went through a whole fairy stage.

**Fai – same explanation as Carmi's above. Short for 'Fairy.'

Love!