"I'm dancing to the music of the madness inside me." - George C. Wolfe
Contrary to the commonly held belief of the male sex, a girls' night is not founded upon pillow fights and women whining about their relationships. In fact, a girls' night is just an evening when girls get together without the company of men. Anything can constitute such a night, as long as these two parameters are in place.
In our case, a so-called girls' night differed from the other nights in our female dormitory because we put down our homework and solitary pursuits, and all spent time together. Sometimes we did have pillow fights and paint each other's toe-nails – at other times, we would gorge ourselves on pizza and chat.
On this particular girls' night we had gone down the pampering route, and Katie was bent industriously over my little toe as she painted the nail a deep red. Alice was helping herself to another piece of my vanilla fudge; courtesy of a mother who felt so guilty about sending me to boarding school that she inundated me with care packages containing more cakes and chocolate than one girl can manage by herself. Even me, with my penchant for such food.
Alice was regaling us with the conversation she had had with Frank Longbottom, a Gryffindor seventh year, over breakfast. Apparently he had asked to pass the milk jug, which had developed into a conversation concerning cereal (with the aforementioned milk) versus toast. We all agreed that this seemed to be a positive step indeed, and that we would all keep an eye on Frank to see whether he exhibited any preference for Alice's company.
"It's just that…" Alice was twisting her hands, blushing face downcast, "I like him so much. He may not be as… loud – or charismatic – as the other boys, but he seems to be genuinely sweet."
"'Sweet' is a good trait," agreed Katie, "but personally I prefer my men a little more manly."
"Yes," I agreed, "however, one does not have to exist at the expense of the other. I mean... well…- " I trailed off, realising what I was about to reveal.
"What?" pressed Lily.
I sighed, aware that the blood was pressing against my cheeks in my customary blush.
"So – you know about – well – the person I have feelings for?"
Lily and Alice nodded.
"You have excellent taste, I must say. I can understand what you see in Professor Dumbledore…" Katie mused.
"Thank you, Katie. There is just something about those glasses…"
"And the beard." added in Lily, her face admirably straight.
However, it was the shock on Alice's face that cracked our serious facades, and the three of us fell about laughing becauseshe had believed our joke.
Eventually, we all sobered up, a few giggles still escaping here and there.
"Right." I stated, my ribs aching from the intensity of the previous laughter. "If I may continue... I know that it is rather – cliché… of me to fancy the most attractive guy in school. Who happens to be a womaniser. Yet, the thing is, well… you see – I didn't really start liking him for his looks. He didn't really… I suppose he was attractive back then, but –"
"Back then?" butted in Katie. "How long ago was this?"
I froze. "Oh – um – last year?"
Even Alice managed a sardonic expression.
"Okay, fine. You might as well know the truth. First year. End of the first term. I'm pathetic, I know that."
"First year! That's six years ago! You've liked Black for six years?" questioned Katie, incredulously.
"Shhh!" I hissed, whacking her with a pillow. "Not so loud!"
She rolled her eyes at me. "No one can hear!"
"They might! What about the other Gryffindor girls?"
"The door is shut. Besides, that's not the point! I cannot believe that you have liked Black for longer than Potter has been hounding Lily!"
"I'm working on getting over it – it's just taking a bit of time."
Lily and Alice cracked grins at this, but I glared at them.
"Longevity aside, my point is that I didn't start… liking… Black for his looks, or womanising ways, or whatever. I started…well…liking him was because I was walking down a corridor at the end of our first term, and he was rushing down it in front of me. Some of the Slytherins had knocked over this little first year, and he stopped and helped him pick up his books, even though he seemed to be in a hurry, and lots of people were just walking round this guy. It just showed that – aside from the attitude, he was a sweet guy. My feelings grew from there. So as you can see – sweet doesn't necessarily cancel out manly."
My case made, I stood up and betook myself off to bed, where it was a good twenty minutes before the blush defused from my face.
The next day I was rudely awoken as my hangings were flung back, allowing the morning sunlight to pierce my eyes. Grumbling, I sat up ready to berate whoever had just roused me, and came face to face with a very excited Katie wearing her Gryffindor scarf and holding the end of a long piece of cloth that trailed off into the recesses of the room. I peered at her, and then realisation struck my mind – Quidditch match.
Katie is an ardent fan of Quidditch, and she supports the Holyhead Harpies with an avidity which borders upon obsession. Alice and Lily enjoy watching it, although Alice likes watching Frank, and Lily becomes engrossed in cheering for Gryffindor, before realising that she is actually cheering Potter. She sulks for a few minutes, until the game recaptures her attention, and then once again starts screaming her lungs out.
Personally, I feel that I like Quidditch adequately. The matches are definitely something that I look forward to, but having a mortal affliction for heights, even walking up to the Quidditch stands is a challenge for me.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team is excellent. James Potter, the captain since last year, holds the position of chaser, along with Frank Longbottom and Jess Riley. With Axelle Thomas and Sirius Black as the beaters, and Winola Ellis as the seeker, all matches that we play are gripping, albeit fiercely competitive.
The fact that very occasionally I begin to follow the path of the bludgers is nothing to do with the fact that he is a beater. To be honest, it is very wise to keep an eye on the bludgers, because they intermittently do head towards the stands, and in my third year hit two Hufflepuff spectators. As my mum says, discretion is the better part of valour.
Still rather sleepy from a restless night before, I subconsciously changed into my attire for the day – red sweater, jeans, my favourite boots, and of course, my Gryffindor scarf. Katie, already dressed, rushed around the room with her cloth, which I now realised was a banner, trailing after her, as she gave reports on the weather, and generally urged everyone to hurry up.
Emerging from our staircase into the common room, we joined the rush of students chatting on their way to breakfast. The match started in three quarters of an hour – just enough time for a leisurely breakfast before the match. It was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw; each house cheering their respective team, Slytherin rooting for Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff rooting for Gryffindor. The players were nowhere to be seen, no doubt already ensconced in the changing rooms, listening to pep talks from their captains.
I breathed a sigh of relief once I had taken my seat in the stands, as the vertiginous dizziness from the climb abated. Excitement was thick amongst the crowd as the two teams walked out onto the pitch, holding their brooms. Mr. Gallagher, or Gally as we all nicknamed him, the Quidditch coach, was a fun easy-going man in his mid-forties who had a passion for Quidditch. He had played for the Wigtown Wanderers in his youth, but after his retirement from professional Quidditch, he had decided to come back to his old school and teach Quidditch. He had a slight Welsh accent, and as I watched him talk to the teams, I could imagine his lilting voice. Then Potter and the Ravenclaw captain shook hands, the whistle blew, and they were off!
The two teams mounted in the air as the voice of Joey Lawrence, a fifth year from Hufflepuff, came out over the speaker.
"Well at kick-off, Gryffindor is in possession of the Quaffle, as Riley speeds ahead on her Comet 180, a new broom that's said to be the fastest out this year, and from the way she is outstripping Fawcet I'd say that the previous statement is true, although perhaps Fawcett needs to think about buying a new broom."
"And she loses possession as she has to swerve a bludger and now Ravenclaw has the Quaffle as Leven races toward the Gryffindor goalposts; look out all you girls down there because Leven is coming your way. He's cut off by Longbottom and now Leven passes the Quaffle to Phillips as she dodges a bludger – a great demonstration of the Strasset manoeuvre dodging that bludger hit with excellent aim from Black and she shoots but Barry blocks it and now the Quaffle is back in the possession of Gryffindor as Potter speeds off down the other end of the pitch.
"And as for the seekers, there seems to be no luck as yet for Ellis or Bentley in finding the snitch and Fairbarn aims a bludgers for Longbottom and it's speeding towards her and is it going to hit her? Is it? No! What a hit there from Thomas as she hits that bludger away from her team-mate – look at that bludger go- the girl really has strength there – and Longbottom is speeding towards the Ravenclaw goalposts and he passes to Riley who swerves to avoid Fawcet, and passes the Quaffle to Potter who dodges that bludger sent by Saxton, but oh no! He dropped the quaffle, but has recaught it , and he shoots…..and SCORES! 10 – 0 to Gryffindor. And now they are off again with a duck from Potter there as a bludger flies towards him, but its hit away by his team mate Black, and now Gryffindor has the Quaffle again and…."
The game continued in this way for the next three and a half hours, even as it began to rain slightly. Finally,Winola Ellis managed to catch the snitch, and she was borne back down to earth in a blur of red and gold, as screaming Gryffindors flew across the pitch. Amid my own screaming and shouting, and hugging my friends and any Gryffindor around me, I caught sight of Titia run across the pitch, and throw herself into Sirius's arms. I felt an ache pang within me as I watched them kiss passionately, through the soft haze of rain. She was a Ravenclaw. She shouldn't be celebrating when her team had just lost. Lily touched my arm –
"Are you alright?
"Sorry – just thinking. But hey yeah – we won!"
"I know!" she smiled, her eyes sparkling as we started cheering again.
We had won. Victories meant parties. Which is why later that evening, I found myself descending the girl's staircase with Lily into a crowded common room, with the Hobgoblins playing out, the tones of Stubby Boardman reverberating across the dancing area, the sofas pushed back, and an assortment of food and drink on the tables. There were a lot of people already dancing on the "dance floor", several standing round chatting, and in the midst of it all some members of the Quidditch team.
Katie was immediately asked to dance, and as Alice rushed off to congratulate Frank, Lily and I made our way to the refreshment table to pick up some of the chocolate frogs and Butterbeer; the Firewhiskey and rum would no doubt come later. There was also punch, but my general rule of thumb was: if the Marauders have had access to it, then don't drink it.
Picking up my Butterbeer (which was made of impenetrable metal), I happily pulled back the ring and took a long refreshing sip of the delicious nectar. Lily voiced my thoughts exactly:
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh."
We grinned at each other as we sighed in unison. Then the party started in earnest. Dancing, chatting, James asking Lily to dance, celebrating, drinking Butterbeer, preventing Lily from hexing James…
It was about eleven o' clock that we came off the dance floor and grabbed another drink from the table. Katie and Lily wanted to head back out onto the floor, so I motioned for them to do so, quite tired from dancing.
It was rather relaxing just sitting there, observing everyone dancing and having fun; I chuckled to myself as I caught sight of Alice still talking to Frank in the corner, pleased for my friend.
After a while however, I began to feel somewhat lonely; I would have gone back to dancing, but I couldn't see Lily or Katie, and I did not have the boldness to push my way through the pulsating crowd. So I just sat there, looking wistfully at the dance floor. Suddenly, a new song came on. The Conga. What was especially surprising was that it had never been played at Hogwarts before, being a muggle song.
I watched in amusement as the first few people formed a chain, Lewis Barry, the Gryffindor keeper at the head. The pure-blood wizards soon caught the idea and joined the chain. It grew longer as the song progressed, and suddenly I was whipped off my couch and pulled into the chain, James Potter holding my wrist and grinning at me as he tried to hold onto Black with the other.
I couldn't help but smile back as I grabbed his shoulders, and felt someone else grab mine, as I became part of the chain. The chain wound around the common room, everybody hopping in unison. Suddenly I found myself being led out of the portrait hole and into the corridors, a whole host of Gryffindor students dancing round the seventh floor of the North Tower.
It was definitely one of the more surreal moments of my life. The poor prefects who were patrolling looked disconcerted as no doubt the largest number of students ever to break curfew at one time came singing and hopping past them in a long chain. Back in the common room, everyone groaned as the song ended, most of us standing in the middle of the dance floor still holding on to the person in front.
A fast song came on, and there was the usual scramble to find a group of people to dance with. Potter vanished from in front of me, no doubt to find Lily so he could pester her. I was just squeezing into the space between people that his wake had made, when I felt a tug on the back of my T-shirt, and turned round to face Sirius Black's chest.
"Dance with me." he shouted over the roar of the music as he took my hands.
"Pardon?" I shouted back.
"Dance with me!" he mimicked dancing for a moment.
The sudden pounding of my heart drowned out the low, loud beat of the song as I froze in front of him.
Obviously believing that I just hadn't heard him, he leant forward and grabbed my left hand, pulling me into a less constrictive space amongst the heaving mass of dancing people. He grasped my right hand, which lay limply in his as he began to move his body in time to the music, swinging my arms back and forth.
Luckily, my body was still functioning and was able to mimic his movements, even as my brain short-circuited. Soon we were rocking and rolling over the dance floor, as he twirled and spun me around. Towards the end of the song, he drew my body towards him, hovering his lips close to my ear, the warmth of his breath shivering over the nape of my neck.
"See – this isn't too excruciating is it? Besides, it's better to make an ass of yourself and have a good time than sit on the sofa by yourself and wish you were dancing."
My heart lurched in my chest, out of tempo with the beat of the song, as I realised that he had noted me sitting on the sofa by myself, looking morose. Unable to find the words to express what I wanted to say, I just smiled up at him, as he pulled me into the next song. We span and jived and he even ducked me at one point, as I whirled backwards into his arms, laughing. That was the final song of the evening, but my smile didn't fade as I bid him goodnight, and languorously climbed up the stairs to my dormitory.
The rest of my dorm mates were in various states of undress as I entered.
"Had fun?" asked Lily.
I nodded, smiling gently.
"Looks like you've been dancing rather wildly," put in Katie.
"Indeed. I danced wildly whilst proving my point."
"Which point?"
"That sweet and manly can coexist."