The first week after the holidays was over and when I got up to go to the bathroom on Thursday of the second week, I ran into a rather cheerful Min.

She was never in such a good mood in the morning.

I looked at her confused.

"Are you all right?".

She didn't seem bothered at all by my question

"Everything wonderful sweetie, really excellent."

"Okaaay", I said stretched and more questioning than understanding and closed the bathroom door behind me.

It would be breakfast before I found out what had put my godmother in such high spirits.

"Professor McGonnagal wants to make an announcement", Hannah said, sitting down with us.

It had become a tradition over the last week and a half for all three of us to eat breakfast together at the Hufflepuff table.

The other meals Hannah sat with her friends or teammates.

Neville didn't mind, but he also said that he sometimes missed her even though she was only sitting a few seats away.

As if she had heard Hannah, Min stood up from her seat at the head of the student tables and the hall became abruptly silent.

"As some of you have already noticed, I have an announcement to make." She began her speech and every student hung on her lips, spellbound.

"We know of all the horror and suffering that hangs over this school, so we, the faculty of this school, have decided to hold a celebration on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts.

In the morning there will be a commemoration but in the evening we will not mourn but celebrate all the people who fought for us and life."

There will be a ball to which every student at Hogwarts is invited. It shall be an evening of joy to chase away the ghosts of the past."

Murmurs erupted in the hall but Min wasn't done with her speech yet.

With a small wave of her wand, she silenced the entire hall again.

"Since this is to be a dance event, you will all participate in a dance class.

They will take place in your year groups.

I will communicate the time and place to the prefects of each year. They will also be responsible for ensuring that every student turns up at this event.

This is a compulsory course."

At the word compulsory course, her voice became serious again and she looked much more like the Min I knew.

That was the end of her speech and she sat down again.

Immediately the chatter broke out again and I once again cursed my improved hearing.

How I wish I could just cover my ears and enjoy the silence.

But my best friend and his girlfriend had other plans.

Hannah was more than excited about the announcement.

I myself didn't know what to make of it yet.

I didn't know how to dance nor did I know anything about parties and celebrations.

I would have to prepare myself meticulously for the next few months so that I wouldn't look like the stupid american.

"And you have to go dress shopping with us", Hannah snapped me out of my thoughts.

"What?", I asked confused.

"You have to come with us when we go dress shopping. It will be fun, I promise."

I didn't know what would be fun about it.

I liked to go shopping but I liked to do that alone.

With a group of girls judging me and my outfit, I didn't imagine it would be quite as enjoyable.

I agreed anyway, just to do Hannah a favour.

The ball was THE topic of conversation for the next few days, nowhere was I safe from it.

The girls in the lower grades were especially excited and philosophised about which boy would be the best companion for the ball.

They seemed to completely ignore the fact that the whole thing would not take place until May and that there were still more than three months to go.

The only quiet place except for my room was the library.

I chose an armchair in the secluded part of the library, which was mainly occupied by non-fiction books by No-Maj authors, which the students of Hogwarts never actually paid attention to.

I had found this part of the library during the holidays and made it my new favourite place.

It was quiet here and I could concentrate fully on my book and briefly escape the conversations about the ball.

I noticed a shadow in my field of vision and looked up from my book.

Malfoy was standing there and didn't seem to have expected anyone to be here.

"If you're not talking about the ball you're welcome to sit down", I said to him.

Back here you could talk at a normal volume without anyone complaining.

I took my feet off the second chair that was here and gestured for him to sit down.

"If I hear the word glitter one more time, I'm going to vomit," he grumbled as he dropped into the chair.

I laughed.

"Don't worry, I won't say the bad word."

He smiled slightly, or at least tried to.

I turned my attention back to my book and he too began to read in his.

I had thought that at his parents' house such events would be right up his alley but I seemed to be wrong.

We read and forgot the time.

At some point Malfoy looked at his pocket watch and cursed.

"Fuck, it's already past three! We should have been in the transformation classroom five minutes ago for dance class!"

I too was now startled.

I had totally forgotten about that.

I slammed my book shut forgetting my bookmark.

I guess I would have to look for where I left off.

Malfoy and I hurried but that wouldn't make us any more punctual.

Rushed we arrived and were almost ten minutes late.

"Ms Harper, Mr Malfoy! Nice of you to grace us too", Min reprimanded us as we entered the room.

I'd get to hear that tonight.

The fact that Malfoy and I came at the same time seemed to surprise the other students, as they looked at us with wide eyes.

"The couples have already found each other, so I guess you two will have to make do with each other, because if you're late..."

"Life punishes you", I added annoyed.

"Right, so line up both of you.

Miss Harper here in front with the ladies and Mr Malfoy opposite her. We'll start with a classic slow waltz."

As if that meant anything to me.

Annoyed, I rolled my eyes.

Malfoy was facing me and I whispered softly, "I don't know anything about dancing."

"Don't worry, I'll lead", was all he said before the music started.

He came up to me and held out his hand.

Questioningly, I looked at him.

"You take my left hand with your right hand. The other hand you put on my shoulder and my other hand is at your side."

I nodded.

That didn't sound that hard.

Malfoy's hand was cold but soft.

He pulled me a little closer to him because we were still very far apart and I put my hand on his shoulder.

Then he put his on my sides, just as he had explained.

It wasn't the first time we had been this close, we had even kissed before but we had been alone and it had always made me uncomfortable but now it wasn't as uncomfortable as I had thought.

I looked up at him.

"And now?"

"Now you do exactly what I do. Follow my feet with yours. If I take a step back, you take a step forward."

And that's exactly what we did.

I looked intently at our feet while Malfoy quietly spoke along the steps for me.

I stepped on his foot but before I could apologise he intervened.

"Never mind, just keep going. Don't get out of step."

He spoke calmly and level-headedly.

I had rarely seen him like that.

He was a good teacher, a patient one, something I hadn't expected from him.

The music stopped and I broke off our contact.

"I told you I couldn't do it", I said sheepishly.

"That's what we're here for, isn't it, Harper?", he grinned with amusement.

"Still, you're going to have to deal with my lack of talent now."

"Bullshit, you just need practice.

You have tact, a lot of people don't, you can build on that.

Just imagine you're doing this weird sport on the ice."

"Ice Skating?"

"Yes exactly that.

Imagine you're ice skating. This is a lot like that."

I raised my eyebrow.

"You don't know anything about ice skating, how would you know it's like dancing?"

"I don't, but I've watched you do it and if you can do that, you can do this.

Besides, you have the best teacher."

There it was again that cocky, arrogant grin but he was probably right, once again I would be relying on Malfoy to master something, much like in Potions.

"Quite convinced of you."

"Rightly so."

"Yes then, Master of couple dance, let's see your talent."

I looked at him challengingly.

He put his hand on my side again, pulled me towards him and held out his hand to me.

The music started playing again and I concentrated on my feet.

This time it worked better and I tried it for a short while without looking at our feet, which only resulted in me almost falling over Malfoy's leg and him having to catch me before I pulled myself and him to the ground.

"Not so cocky Harper", he laughed and the laugh sounded genuine.

The dance class went on for a whole hour and a half and I wouldn't have lasted any longer than that. My concentration was waning and Malfoy's feet were suffering.

"See you in Potions Harper", he said goodbye and I was almost looking forward to the next dance class with him.

"Talk to McGonnagal, I'm sure you can still swap partners", Neville said as we sat down to dinner.

"I don't want to swap, I can handle Malfoy", I countered.

"Why were you late anyway?" he wanted to know.

"Lost track of time."

Neville raised an eyebrow.

"You two? Together?"

I had been aware of how that must had looked to the others and I was about to hear that from Min as well.

And no matter what I said, no one would believe it, even if it was the truth.

"Coincidence", I lied and Neville didn't really seem to believe it either.

"Yeah if you say so."

Now I raised my eyebrows and he quickly added, "Just watch out around him, he's not a good person."

What was that supposed to mean? , I thought indignantly.

I didn't feel like discussing it, so I just nodded briefly and then turned back to my food.

Min was sitting on an armchair reading when I tried to slip quietly into the apartment.

I had talked to Neville a little longer, hoping not to run into her.

"I guess you left your punctuality in bed this morning."

No greeting or anything, she heads straight for the topic.

"Forgot time."

"Along with Mr Malfoy?", she asked, making no effort to get up from her chair.

"It was a coincidence that we were both late at the same time."

"Coincidences involving Mr Malfoy usually don't bode well."

Annoyed, I rolled my eyes.

That she would hold that against me had been obvious to me but after Neville had done that too I was more than annoyed by it.

"It was a coincidence okay!

Can I go to my room now or do you have something else to tell me?", I said snappishly.

Against all expectations, she didn't answer, so I went to my room and closed the door louder than necessary.

I threw myself on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

All I wanted was peace and quiet.

Why couldn't Min and Neville just accept that what happened with Malfoy and me was a coincidence?

Why did there always have to be more to it?

It didn't. We had been trying to hide from other people and had lost track of time. There had been nothing wrong with that and I saw no problem with it.

Rather, I now saw the challenge to show the others how well I got along with Malfoy. That it didn't bother me in the least who he was and what others thought of him.

I wanted to show them how wrong they were.

Malfoy and I would be the best at dance class. tlthe pair that learned the fastest and worked the best together.

And it was for this goal that I trained, every evening until the next Saturday's dance class.

I could now follow the sequence of steps without looking at my feet and without counting the steps aloud.

Full of anticipation, I stood in the transformation classroom that had been turned into a dance floor and waited for the rest of the class to arrive.

We lined up again, each partner facing the other.

Malfoy held out his hand to me.

"Ready for your dance lesson, Miss Harper?", he asked in a distinguished tone.

I took his hand and placed the other on his shoulder.

"Why so posh today Mr Malfoy?"

"I thought it would add a little authenticity to the whole thing here, don't you think?"

I didn't break our eye contact and was rather proud of myself for keeping up without looking at our feet or stepping on his.

"If you say so Mr Malfoy", I smiled slyly.

We had reached the turn that we had never managed the last time we practised.

Well, I had never got it right but I had practised.

I closed my eyes and imagined myself in my room in front of the mirror practising the steps and it worked.

When I opened my eyes again I looked into astonished grey eyes.

"I see my talent is rubbing off on you."

"Don't be so sure of yourself.

I owe this progress entirely to myself. You have merely awakened my ambition."

I enjoyed talking so genteelly to Malfoy, it made the whole situation a little more relaxed and added humour.

It was strange to talk about humour in Malfoy's presence, but that's how it was.

After the music ended Malfoy explained further steps and I listened eagerly.

It took me some concentration but by the end of the lesson we had mastered three different types of turns.

I was quite pleased with myself and Malfoy wasn't in the worst mood either.

Hannah intercepted me after the lesson. "We're having a girls' night tonight, would you like to come?"

Perplexed I stared at her.

Yes we got on well but it wasn't like we were good friends now.

"I don't think the others really want me there."

"Nonsense, they were really happy when I suggested it."

"I don't know, I don't think I'd fit in."

Hannah looked at me with her big brown eyes and I could see what Neville saw in them. They were loyal and kind and there was absolutely nothing bad in them.

"I'd love it if you came", she said with a smile and she looked so loving about it that I couldn't say no.

"Yes okay, I'll come. But if the others don't want me there, I'll go."

Her grin widened and she hugged me fiercely.

"This is going to be great. Meet me at the Hufflepuff common room at 8pm.

Do you know where that is?"

I nodded quickly.

I had discovered the entrance to the Hufflepuff rooms on my nightly walks.

"Is there a password?", I asked as I thought of the situation outside the Slytherin door.

"We'll leave the door open but if it does close the password is Bowtruckle."

At least that was a better password than the Slytherins'.

I had guessed that in no time, simply because it was so clichéd.

"Well, I'll see you tonight at eight", she smiled, hugged me again and then left me standing in the corridor.