Hi Guys, this is an updated and rewritten version of Chapter one.
I hope you guys like it!
Here we go...
Deep breath in, deep breath out. In 2,3 – out 2,3.
Hermione stood staring at her shaking hands, trying desperately to concentrate on her breathing as she stood behind a translucent glass screen, wondering why on earth she had decided this was a good idea in the first place. In fact, she knew why she had agreed to this, but in this moment it was the one thing she regretted most in her 23 years of existence.
4 weeks ago, her publishers had rung her, encouraging her to do some PR work to boost her book sales in the run up to the release of the newest novel in her series. The opportunity to do this had seemed like the greatest idea at the time, and when her manager asked, well she couldn't say no, it seemed at the time like the only viable option to both increase her skill set (something she was always looking to do) and increase her public profile ten-fold.
Strictly Dancing Stars was one of the biggest shows in the country, it was known to have catapulted some contestants into super stardom, and it was adored by a nation. She had been offered a position as a contestant for many years now. She was the archetypal contestant on paper, she had almost no dance experience, was relatively well known, and was the kind of contestant who would help raise the profile of the show, and bring in a new audience, and up until now she had turned them down.
However, this year was obviously different, so when they offered her the place in their line up, she accepted, the contracts were signed, she'd been for her medical and so that was how she found herself here, waiting on the nation's most popular magazine TV show, 'This Week', to be announced as this years final celebrity – hence the nerves.
"AND WE'RE BACK!" A voice from behind a camera yelled loudly to the hosts who currently sat chatting on the infamous blue sofas.
"Now moving on, many of our viewers are eagerly awaiting the return of Strictly Dancing Stars, and have been tuning in everyday these past two weeks to see who is next in this years line up" The female presenter, Charlotte Goodwin, said as she and her co-host stood from their spots of the sofas and began moving towards the screen, behind which she stood.
"Yes, and now we have only one celebrity left to announce" The male presenter, Mark Wheeler, said as they stopped only a few feet from her, she could see their silhouettes through the screen.
Holding her pre-determined pose, given to her before the show went live (arm outstretched above her head, and a hand on her hip), she listened as the pair continued talking.
"Before we announce this years final celebrity, we're going to give you a quick rundown of everyone who has already been announced" Charlotte said.
"First announced was TV Doctor, Dianna McCall" Mark continued.
"Then Footballer, Zachary Bell" Charlotte said, as they began their back and forth, announcing the names of her competition.
"Singer, Phoebe Stevens"
"Actor and Singer, Charlie Walsh"
"TV News Anchor, Anna Cole"
"Ex-England Cricketer, Jason Whitman"
"Gymnast, Maria Adamson"
"Olympic Gold Medalist, Daniel Hulmes"
"Soap Opera Star, Tanya Gutierrez"
"Boyband Singer, Nicholas Marshall"
"TV Presenter, Simon Lake"
"Children's TV Presenter, Hannah Reid"
"Tennis Star and Wimbledon Champion, Angelina Johnson"
"And announced last night, Ireland's Rugby Captain, Seamus Finnegan" Charlotte finished, and Hermione felt her nerves suddenly triple.
"Now, the time is here, to announce our final celebrity, who will be competing for the mirror ball trophy with her dance partner" Mark said.
"She's a world renowned children's author, and philanthropist, who most recently lent her talents to the stage, starring in 'Waitress' in the west end last summer" Charlotte said.
"Yes, and now it seems she is going to be adding dancing to her already impressive CV" Mark said.
"Here she is, its Hermione Granger!" Charlotte announced, after a pause, and Hermione rounded the screen to stand with the two hosts, giving each a small friendly hug, before they all made their way over to the blue sofas.
Charlotte and Mark sat themselves on the left side of the studio, and Hermione found herself sat on the right, smiling at the camera pointed at her, her grin hiding the nerves below the surface beautifully.
"It's good to have you here, Hermione" Mark said.
"Its good to be here guys" She said, as she placed her hands neatly on her blue jeans, glancing momentarily at her black heeled boots. "Its really exciting to be part of a show as big as this!"
"Yes, now we'll get on to Strictly Dancing Stars in a couple of miniutes, but first we need to talk about your new book. You're very busy at the moment, your book comes out the 20th August correct?" Charlotte said, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief at being allowed to stay in her comfort zone a little bit longer.
She smoothed down her baby pink blouse before she opened her mouth to begin speaking. "Yes, in all major bookstores and retailers, as well as online! Its crazy to think this has come around so quickly"
"I can imagine, now the book follows a young girls journey of self-discovery with a bit of fantastical magic thrown in, what inspired you to write this book?" Mark asked.
"Yes, it follows Thea, a young girl who has lost her way a little bit, and she finds this book abandoned in a park, and it unlocks this magical world, and she begins to discover who she is as a person. I think Thea is inadvertently based a lot on myself, you know, she's struggling to form an identity and that's something I definitely have experience with, and I this besides the whole fantasy aspect, its something many children and young adults can relate to, that feeling of isolation that can be so devastating in those formative teenage years and I feel like this is a book that can be there to reassure people, you know, they're not alone." She answered, smiling.
"It looks fantastic, and I have read the first chapter, and I'm already on board, I cannot wait to grab my copy and continue on Thea's adventure with her." Charlotte said, smiling before she paused, and Hermione knew what was coming. "So obviously, we can't have you here, having announced what we just did, without talking about Strictly Dancing Stars."
"Yes, how are you feeling? Nervous? Excited?" Mark continued.
"Definitely nervous, my hands literally start shaking at the thought of what I'm about to do! But excited too, I think, I means its Strictly, its all sparkles and craziness, I think its going to be a lot of fun" Hermione answered, her hands shaking slightly as she thought about what was to come, but never once outwardly showing her worry.
"I believe you've started rehearsals for the group number in the launch show, or are just about to start?" Charlotte asked.
"We start rehearsal on Monday, its come around so quickly. Once I had my medical the days really flew by. I'm looking forward to meeting the other celebrities, I mean I already know Angelina and Seamus, so that makes me feel a little bit more relaxed. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting the pro's and seeing which one I think could be my partner" Hermione answered, trying her best to come across as nervously-excited, instead of filled with anxious dread, though she doubted the only one who didn't believe her performance.
"We can't wait to see how you get on, and take it from the both of us, as Strictly Alumni, you're going to love every single second of it, you'll ache but its going to change your life" Mark said, as they moved on and both he and Charlotte turned to the camera.
"That's all we have time for tonight, thank you to our guests Marcel Ackworth and Hermione Granger, join us on Monday evening when we will be joined by Masterchef's Henry Francis, and we'll be talking all things 'Victory Avenue' with soap star with Samira Hunter." Charlotte said.
"We'll see you then, Goodnight!" Mark said, as the theme music blared and they went off air.
Standing quickly, she said her goodbyes to Mark and Charlotte, before heading back to her dressing room to grab her handbag. Hermione sighed, stepping into her car, this was going to be one hell of a ride.
Monday's rehearsal brought chaos from the get go, waking up at 7, she quickly showered, tying her bushy hair into a bun once she's managed to dry it, before slipping into some black exercise leggings, a sports bra and loos tank top, tying her laces tightly on her light blue trainers.
Grabbing her bag, lunch and water bottle, she locked up and jumped in her car, heading for the address she had been sent 3 weeks previously, detailing the hotel ballroom in the backside of nowhere where they would be rehearsing.
As she walked into the vast ballroom of the hotel, she felt her nerves triple, but she sighed with relief when she spotted Seamus and Angelina talking animatedly in the back corner. Angelina waving her arms about with some vigour.
"Hey guys" She said in greeting, as she sidled up to them, dropping her bag, water bottle and phone with their stuff by one of the walls.
"Hey Hermione" Angelina greeted her with a hug.
"Good to see you" Seamus said, giving her a short hug too, his strong arms wrapping around her back with a quick squeeze of reassurance.
"How are we feeling this morning? As nervous as me?" She asked the two, silently hoping they'd agree with her sentiments.
"Excited, and majorly nervous!" Angelina replied, "I feel like this is all I've been waiting for, but now that its here, all I want to do is throw up, I've not managed a bite of food this morning"
"Me either" She agreed.
"Me too, its going to be a crazy experience isn't it? Truly once in a lifetime" Seamus said, and the two girls laughed, nodding along with him.
"Alright, everybody gather around!" A producer announced, and they all gathered in the centre of the room. "The pro's have arrived, and we're going to turn the cameras on, so no swearing, and film you first meetings. Act naturally and just get to know everyone, we're going to spend about half an hour just getting to know everyone, and then we'll move on to learning the group dance, sound good?"
Everyone murmured in agreement.
Hermione could feel everyone around her buzzing with nervousness, and she smiled nervously at Angelina, who had grabbed her hand as they both tried, and failed, to contain their nervous energy.
It felt like hours before the grand doors into the hotel ballroom, opened, when in fact it was probably only 5 minutes, and in walked 15 professional dancers for them to greet. They all quickly huddled together making quick introductions before their producer had them sit in a circle and introduce themselves formally.
She found herself sandwiched between Angelina on one side, and a female professional dancer on the other. Hermione wasn't sure of her name but she was sure it was something like Whitney or Britney or something. Looking around the circle, she tried to put names to faces, and she didn't have to wait long before her hunches were confirmed.
"Hey guys, I'm Tom Malloy, I'm 32, and I love dancing the Jive" A tall, dark haired man waved as he introduced himself.
"I'm Diana McCall, I'm 41, and I want to learn how to Foxtrot"
"What's up everyone? I'm Rachel Evans, I'm 33 and I love to Jive"
"Hey, I'm Karen Lewis, I'm 29, and I'm a specialist in Charleston"
"I'm Michelle Norris, I'm 24, and my favourite dance is Salsa" The female professional introduced herself. She was small, and pale, with flaming red hair, and seemed to be passionate, though she suspected all dancers were.
"Hey everyone, I'm Zachary Bell, I'm 30, and I want to learn how to Salsa"
"I'm Matthew Parkinson, I'm 36, and I specialise in Tango" A shorter looking red head man said, smiling as he looked around the circle.
"Hey I'm Phoebe Stevens, I'm 32, and I just want to learn any Latin dance"
"Hi, I'm Liam McKay, I'm 22, and my favourite dance is the Tango" A guy with long dark hair spoke, and Hermione made a note to pay attention specifically to the names of the male professional dancers.
"Hey, I'm Jason Whitman, I'm 55, and I'm looking forward to the Foxtrot"
"Hi everyone" A man with a thick Italian accent greeted, and Hermione took a moment to take in his appearance, "I'm Vincent Alamore, I'm 23 and I love to dance the Argentine Tango"
"I'm Ola Aksana, I'm 35, and my favourite dance is the Rumba"
"Hey, I'm Charlie Walsh I'm 28, and I'm looking forward to the Jive"
"Hey everyone, I'm Michael Peace, I'm 26, and my favourite dance is the Quickstep" A dirty blonde spoke, he was broad shouldered, and she guessed he'd not been a pro for very long.
"Hey everyone" Seamus said as the circle reached him. "I'm Seamus Finnegan, I'm 23, and I want to learn how to Quickstep" This surprised Hermione, though she supposed the frantic energy suited him.
"Nice to meet everyone, I'm Angelina Johnson" Angie began, and Hermione took a deep breath as she prepared her turn. "I'm 24, and I'm looking forward to learning the Samba"
Hermione felt all the stares in the room turn to her, and she looked up and took a deep breath before introducing herself.
"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger, it's nice to meet everyone, I'm 23, and I'm looking forward to learning as many dances as I can" She answered honestly, her gaze searching the circle sweepingly, as she took in as many faces as possible.
"Hey guys, I'm Witney Larson, I'm 27, and I am a World Champion in Samba and Salsa"
"Hey everyone, I'm Hannah Reid, I'm 30, and I'm looking forward to learning the Cha-Cha"
"I'm Nicholas Marshall, I'm 44, and I really want to learn the Paso Doble"
"Hey, I'm Peter Fletcher, I'm 24, and my favourite dance, has to be the Jive" The pro beside her said, as she surveyed him, before play turned to the person beside him.
"I'm Maria Adamson, Hi, I'm 25, and I'm looking forward to the Samba"
"Hi, I'm Anthony Baker, I'm 40, and I love the Waltz" An older looking gentleman, who Hermione could identify from previous series of the show said.
"I'm Daniel Hulmes, Hi, I'm 39, and I really want to learn how to dance" That earned giggles from the group.
"Hey, I'm Tanya Gutierrez, I'm 39, and I'm looking forward to learning the American Smooth"
"Hey, I'm Lindsey Thompson, I'm 21, and I love dancing the Cha-Cha" A blonde, with cute features said.
"Hey, I'm Aliona Kopilova, I'm 28, and I'm a champion in Latin dance, I love dancing Cha-Cha"
"I'm Anna Cole, I'm 50, and I'm looking forward to the Viennese waltz"
Finally the circle came to its last two speakers.
"Hi, I'm Simon Lake, I'm 40, and I really want to learn the Waltz"
Hermione then turned her attention to the striking blonde sat beside the man, his facial features were sharp, and he had a piercing gaze, but despite this, he held a warm smile upon his face.
"Hi everyone, welcome by the way, I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm 25, and my favourite dance is all of them, I just love to dance" He said.
"And that brings the circle to a close, now you all know each other, we're going to warm up and start dancing" The producer announced, and slowly the group got to their feet, spreading throughout the room, as the warm up began, a tall blonde girl shouting instruction from the front of the room.
Once their bodies were sufficiently warm, and Hermione could feel a small sheen of sweat collecting on her forehead, they began to choreograph, starting from the very basics of the opening of the routine.
"Ok, celeb girls, stand in a line to my left," and Hermione and Angelina wandered over together, curious as to what was going to happen. "Celeb boys, stand in a line to my right"
They all gathered leaving the pro's standing dotted around the large room. Some looking as confused as she felt.
"Ok so, to open the routine we're going to have 2 lifts going on, girls obviously one of you will be being lifted, and the boys you will be lifting a pro girl, I just need to assess your flexibility and strength. You will then descend as the music starts and start the routine. I need to pick those people" The choreographer, who Hermione had identified as Claire. She slowly walked in front of the girls, trying to get a gauge on their flexibility and courage.
"Ok, girls, on three, I want you to kick your leg as high as you can, keeping it straight, then drop into a split as low as you can go. Ready, one, two, three" On three, Hermione lifted her leg and extending as far as she could, she flung it high before dropping into a split, she could see Angelina giggling slightly beside her, as she too stretched her leg as far as she could.
"Ok, no boys, drop and give me 10 press ups" Hermione secretly, was wondering if this was Claire's way of breaking down any boundaries on the first day, making them all look like fools. Slowly she sank down to the floor, her muscles screaming in relief as she freed them from their unprepared stretch.
"Right, that makes decisions much clearer, Draco? Whitney? Come here" She said, as she moved back to the front of the 2 lines. "Hermione, and Seamus come forward as well, the rest of your head back and spread out"
Hermione felt her stomach flip, and was thankful when Seamus caught her hand, and squeezed it in support, his hand shaking lightly too, she smiled in reply.
"Do you two know each other or something?" Claire asked, watching the interaction, a look of curiosity on her face.
"We went to school together" Seamus answered, and Hermione silently thanked him, her own voice failing her in that morning.
"Oh, small world then" Claire replied.
"Yeah, Angelina was in the year above us as well" Hermione said, finding her voice finally.
"Very small world, anyways, Seamus you are quite clearly the most physically strong male celebrity, and therefore you should have the strength needed for this lift, and Hermione, you were surprisingly, the most flexible female celebrity, and you're petite which makes you ideal for lifting, you're going to need to employ that core strength" Claire said, as she moved into business mode. "So, gather around you four, I'm going to show you a video clip of the lift you will be doing" She ushered the group around her phone, and Hermione found herself hovered between Seamus on her left and Draco on her right.
A bit unnerved by the lack of space, Hermione shook herself, she was going to have to get used to being all up close and personal with people she barely knew. Turning her attention to the video, Hermione watched as the female dancer was hoisted above the male's head, him turning on the spot twice, before she dropped into an airplane lift, and then spun, her left leg finally coming down to allow the female dancer to regain her footing.
Hermione shook silently, they expected her to do THAT?! Were they crazy? Or trying to kill her. Taking a gulp of air, she moved away from the phone once the clip had ended, and looked back to Claire, Seamus' hand still in hers, and she could feel the tremble of their hands together as they faced what they were about to do.
"I know it looks intimidating, but after a few try's yourselves, you'll get to grips with it. Seamus, you really have to keep those arms locked over your head, when she grabs your wrist, grab hers, that's the signal she's going to drop into the airplane. I'll show the correct technique for the continuous spins. Hermione, use your abs, I can see you've got them, lock your body as straight as you possibly can, don't droop, or Draco will drop you, after 2 spins, grab his wrist and squeeze, he'll grab yours, then release the tension in your body, and Draco will help your roll down his body into the airplane. To land slowly drop your left leg after 2 spins and let it drag on the floor until Draco brings you upright. Ok?" Both Hermione and Seamus nodded. Draco and Whitney looked at them with encouraging smiles on their faces, and she felt more at ease seeing Draco's smile. "Ok, now off you go, work on it for a while and once its correct I'll catch you up with the rest of the choreography which we're going to be learning now, I'll pair you up" Claire announced turning to the other 26 people in the room, who until this point had been standing and waiting.
Draco took her hand, and smiled at her, as he guided her to a back corner of the large ballroom, and Hermione realised why such a large room was needed.
"Hi, I don't know if you remember me from before, I'm Draco, and honestly as long as you listen well, and can follow instructions, you're going to be absolutely fine." Draco said, trying to calm her nerves.
Hermione smiled in reply. "I'm Hermione by the way, if you didn't catch my name earlier"
"Nice to meet you, now lets start the lift" He said, getting down to business. "Ok, so easiest way to get you used to being lifted is to just start simple. I'm going to lower myself down, you're going to climb onto my shoulders, I'll straighten up, you just get used to being up there, being supported by another person is a different feeling, and just get used to the contact"
She nodded, and he lowered himself before her, she took a deep breath, before cautiously she hooked her right leg over his right shoulder, and once balanced, followed suit with her left leg. Leaning forward to catch his hands, which were outstretched to her, he stood slowly, and after a while, she released his hands growing used to the balance needed whilst up so high.
"Ok, you ok up there?" He asked after a few minutes, and he'd walked a few paces around the ballroom.
"Yes, I think so" She replied.
"Ok, I'm going to lower down again, we're going to practice getting you in a dead lock, and then do that again" He replied, and Hermione nodded, even thought she knew he couldn't see her.
"Ok"
Lowering himself to the floor, Hermione fought to keep her balance without the aid of his hands this time, and she slowly climbed off his shoulders when she felt her feet brush the floor.
"That was good. Ok, so, first things first, standing straight, lock every muscle in your body as tight as you possibly can." He said, and Hermione did so. She stared ahead as Draco circled her, tapping her muscles as he went around her, tapping her muscles as he went, testing her strength and resolve. "Good, and release, this time raise your arms above your head, and tense this is how you're going to be in the lift, but horizontal obviously"
She nodded, and did as she was instructed, as yet again, he moved around her testing her muscles.
"Excellent"
"I feel like an idiot" She said, laughing as she shook out her arms and legs.
"Unfortunately for you, a lot of dance leaves your feeling like a complete idiot" Draco laughed with her. "Ok, so now we're going to do that, and you have to stay locked whilst I pick you up, do not release until you are back on the ground.
"Ok" She said, slightly nervous, this was the first step to the big lift.
Tensing, and raising her arms above her head, she watched as Draco disappeared behind her, and felt his hands grasped her ribs and her right leg, shifting his hands once she was horizontal, and pushing her upward slightly, his hands now holding the left side of her body.
Slowly he lowered her to the ground, and she unclenched, feeling good to have her feet on the floor once more.
"Hey, you're a pretty quick learner" He said. "Take a quick breather, and then we're going to try that, up there" He said, pointing his finger upwards.
She nodded, gathering her courage, and waited until Draco indicated he was ready. After a couple of minutes, he lowered himself to his knees, and she took this as her cue to clamber on his shoulders, and he smiled at her as he realised they were communicating without words.
Once she had her legs hooked over his shoulders, her hands clasped in his large ones, he raised himself to his feet.
"Ok, this time, I'm going to keep hold of your hands, you're going to shift both of your legs onto my right shoulder" She took a deep breath, before he helped to guide her over to the one side as he has said. It was a different position, and she really found herself testing her balancing abilities. Knowing what was coming next, she felt him grab her right leg. "Ok, as I push up, lock every muscle, and start leaning to your left, arms outstretched, remember to keep tensed."
"Ok, I think" She replied, and she could feel him smiling. After another minute or so, she felt him start to push against her, and she locked her limbs, leaning to her left until he grasped her ribs and pushed up until his arms were straight.
"Ok that's it, well done, now when you're ready, grab my wrist with your right hand, and I'll grab yours, then when I tell you to, unclench and lean forward" He told her.
Slowly she grasped his left wrist with her own right hand, she felt his hold on her change slightly, and she waited for the instruction to unclench and lean forward.
"Now" She unclenched and let herself fall forward, Draco's hand grabbing her right wrist, as she rolled down in front of him, ending up hanging by her right arms and leg in an airplane.
"Good!" He said, as she put her left leg on the floor, and allowed Draco to help pull her into a standing position. "Well done, we'll do that one more time, and then add in the rotation"
The did that one more time, before beginning to think about rotations.
"Ok, so rotations, thats nothing for you to worry about, its all me, remember to wait for 2 full rotations before you grab my wrist, as soon as you grab my wrist this time, unclench and lean, I'll be ready. Wait two full rotations in the airplane before putting your left foot down, and when I begin to push you up, put your foot flat and I'll do the rest" He said, taking her hands in his, and she marvelled at how much bigger his hands we compared to hers. She nodded at him, shaking out her nerves. "I'll shout to make you aware when to grab my wrist this time, so you know what I mean by two full rotations, ok? And the same when you're in the airplane for putting your foot on the ground"
Lowering himself to the ground once again, she clambered onto his shoulders, hands grasping his hands as he stood, and she shifting onto his right shoulder. He let go of her hands, and she stretched her arms above her head, tensing her muscles, and she leant as she began to feel him pushing on her legs. Grabbing her ribs, he pushed until his arms were straight, and Hermione braced herself as he began to rotate. Counting the rotations in her head, she waited for Draco's instruction.
"NOW!" He said, as he came round to the front once again, and she grabbed his wrist unclenching, and leaning forward, and felt herself drop, Draco never stopping spinning. Extending her left arm out in front of her as he spun twice more.
"OK" he said eventually, and she dropped her left leg as he returned to the front once more, and felt him push against her right wrist and let go of her right leg as she stood up once more.
"Wow" She said, once her head had stopped spinning.
"Yeah, wow" He said, dropping to the floor, Hermione following suit, and sitting beside him. "You're pretty good for a non-dancer, hell I know professionals who would fail doing that lift" He said, nudging her shoulder with his, and she blushed at his praise.
"I didn't expect it to be so quick" She said.
"That's the point, that's what makes the trick so cool" Draco said, hearing the vibration of a phone against the wooden floorboards, Draco took his phone from the pocket of his sweatpants, and eyed the small device. "Excuse me just a minute"
"Everything ok?" She asked, concerned written on her face.
"My son" He said, indicating to the phone, walking away from her, leaving Hermione to dwell.
"Hello?" Draco said, answering the call on his ringing phone.
"Daddy?" The high pitched voice on the other end answered.
"Scorp? What's the matter?" Draco asked, growing concerned suddenly, but knowing rationally he was safe at home with his mother.
"I just missed you, I went to tell you about what Nana and I did today and I forgot you weren't here" Scorpius replied, a slight sniffle in his voice. "Nana said I could ring you"
Draco let out a sigh. "Oh, I miss you too bud, but I'm at work right now, but I'll be home in a few hours, in the meantime you should enjoy yourself with Nana, I know she's been looking forward to having time with you"
"Ok, can we have spaghetti for dinner?" Scorpius asked, his young voice perking up.
Chuckling to himself, "Of course" he answered. "But look, Daddy has to go now, I'll see you in a few hours ok?"
"Ok"
"Be good for Nana, I love you" He said into the device.
"I will, I love you too" His son replied.
"Ok, Bye Scorp" He laughed as he removed the phone from his ear, hearing his son start rabbiting away to his Nana, and hanging up the phone.
Pocketing his phone once more, he moved to go back inside the ballroom, and back to Hermione to retry their lift, this time with no instruction.
"Hey" He said to the brunette who was sat on the floor still.
"Hey, is everything alright?" She asked, concern in her eyes, and he smiled, it was lovely to see that in someone he didn't even know that well.
"Oh, yeah, Scorp's with my mum, and he was just missing me apparently, so mum let him give me a ring" Draco answered.
"Scorp?" She questioned.
"Short for Scorpius, his mum picked it, I hate it, I think she only did it to spite me in the long run, anyway" Draco said.
"Oh, fair enough" She said, laughing at the scornful expression on Draco's face.
"Back to the lift" He said, kneeling on the floor next to her as he had done earlier. She stood promptly, doing everything that was now familiar. She stood promptly. "Ok, so this time you have no instruction from me, after 2 rotations, its up to you to do the next part"
Hermione steeled herself, as they did the lift once more, bracing for the swooping feeling in her stomach, she was delighted to find she'd done it without instruction.
"I can't believe I did that" She said, high-five-ing Draco in celebration.
"You're awesome, and just in time, Claire's summoning us and Seamus and Whitney" Grabbing her hand, he led them over to Claire.
"How's it gone then?" Claire asked, and both pairs nodded. "Fantastic, show me, I'll cue you in gentlemen as to when to start rotation, and then if its clean we'll move on to the next parts of the choreography"
Nodding, the pairs moved to stand side by side, around 8 feet apart. Doing the rehearsed lift, Hermione was surprised to find she and Whitney landing upright at the same time, standing in front of their respective partners.
"Fantastic guys!" Claire said beaming at them. "Moving on"
The rehearsals for the group dance continued all that week, and by the end of the work, Hermione could feel muscles she didn't even know she had, aching.
The Thursday of the Launch Show filming rolled around quickly after that, and in the midst of the chaos, her book was released in stores.
Pulling up at the Strictly Dancing Stars studio in her car, Hermione followed the now familiar path to the dressing rooms, and found herself in the costume department.
Over the past few weeks, Hermione had been here multiple times for multiple fittings for her first dress. Smiling at the people crowding the room, she waited for one of the costume designers to come free from sewing a celeb or pro into their costume and address her.
"Hermione!" Georgina said, rounding on her form behind a costume rack. The chief costumer designer pulled her into a tight hug as she spoke. "How are you?"
"I'm good, ready to get into it now to be honest" She replied, and Georgina smiled, stepping back from her, as she grabbed Hermione's costume, she'd been in it not 2 days ago getting promotional pictures taken, and she knew she'd be back in it tomorrow to take couple's photo's with her eventual partner.
"Ok, so lets get you into this, so you can head for hair and make-up" Georgina said, grabbing her hand, and leading her around multiple costume racks, to the changing booth.
Helping her into the costume, Georgina chatted about different things, both to do with the show and not. Standing fully straight, Hermione adjusted the garment, before slipping into her latin dance shoes, and buckling them around her ankles.
"Lets get you sewn in then" Georgina said, grabbing her needle and thread, and beginning the process of securing Hermione into her costume.
Once done, she stepped back, surveying the fit of the garment. It was perfect. Hermione then left the booth, grabbing her clothes and shoes, and standing in front of the full length mirror. Dropping her belongings to her feet, she slowly looked at herself and her reflection.
The costume was sparkling brightly with the tiniest movement she made. The two piece was a dark purple, fading into a lilac and finally a pink at the bottom of the skirt. Long strands of beads dangled and wiggled as she moved to look at the costume from every angle.
"Its perfect Hermione" She heard from behind her, and turning around, she found Angelina, the girl bedecked in yellow, her dress solid, and beads glinting in the light.
"Oh Angie, you too" Hermione said.
"You headed for hair and make-up?" Angie asked.
"Yes" Hermione replied, slipping on a robe, as Angelina grabbed her hand, and the two walked in companionable silence to hair and make-up.
Inside, Hermione could see a few pro and celeb boys having some colour put onto their faces so they wouldn't be washed out under the bright studio lights. In the corner she could see a few girls, both pro and celeb having their hair swept into elegant styles.
Heading inside, Hermione and Angelina got chatting to a few people as they waited for a make-up artist or hair stylist to become free and call either of them forward. Angelina dragged her toward the pro boys, where Seamus was stationed beside them.
"Hey guys" She beamed. 4 pairs of eyes shifted to the pair in the mirrors.
"Hey girls" Peter said, looking at the two, and Hermione smiled.
"Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes?" Seamus said, and the two stuck their tongues out at their childhood friend.
"So remind me how you all know each other?" Hermione's eyes shifting to the speaker, the grey eyes staring at her, his white blond hair swept into a quiff, and his face coated in a thin layer of make-up brightening up his pale complexion.
'Damn, Draco looks good…' Hermione thought, turning to answer his question.
"We all went to the same school, Angelina was a year above Seamus and I, but she was dating one of my best friends at the time, so we got to know each other well" Hermione answered.
"Ahh, yes when we were just young whippersnappers" Seamus said, putting on his best nostalgic airs. "Angelina with her baby face, me with an accent even thicker than it is now, and Hermione's hand never not containing a book"
"You talk like it was ages ago, it was literally 6 years ago for me, and 5 for you, we're hardly past our sell by dates" Angelina said to the Irishman.
The group laughed.
"Seriously though, how are you three feeling about tonight?" Draco asked, his gaze still fixed on Hermione.
"Nervous, excited, like I'm about to throw up" Hermione replied, and Angelina and Seamus nodded in agreement, their eyes suddenly growing wide at the thought of what lay ahead of her.
"I get it, its nerve wracking, but there's nothing to really worry about yet, and as for the group dance, lets just say, we aren't concerned about you 3 messing it up" Peter said, conspiratorially.
"Hermione?" Vikki, one of the make-up artists interrupted their chatter "You ready?" Hermione nodded.
"I'll catch you all in a bit" She said, moving away from the group, and watching as not 5 minutes later, Angelina was called to get her hair done.
Vikki carefully set to work, bedazzling Hermione's eyes, sticking on false lashes, and coating her face in foundation and other products, various brushes dabbing her face.
Finally, she applied some clear gloss to Hermione's already rosy lips, and finished her work. Hermione looked in the mirror, shocked to see the woman looking back at her in the looking glass. Her eyes looked smokey, a purple eyeshadow and some gems used to make her eyes look bigger. Her cheekbones defined and her lips looking plump and supple.
"Vikki, you are literally amazing" Hermione said to the woman beside her. "Thank you"
Standing up, she heading over to Angelina whose hair was still being twisted into an intricate up-do.
"Wow, look at you" Angelina said, glancing at Hermione in the mirror.
"Thanks" Hermione said blushing, and settling into the chair beside of the girl, as she waited to get her hair done and what a nightmare it was going to be.
"You ok if I do your hair Hermione?" Francine asked from behind her, a comb in her hands and a determined look on her face.
"Yeah, whatever you can do with it, good luck!" Hermione laughed, as she took the bobble which had been holding her hair in a bun from her head, and shook out her curly mane.
Francine began work immediately, brushing and straightening the hair softly, before she began curling it once again into loose, elegant waves.
In half and hour, Francine had worked miracles, and had gotten her hair into loose bouncy waves, and with a few pins and hair accessories, she'd pinned back a small portion of her hair to reveal her face.
Looking to her left, she found Angelina waiting for her, a huge smile on her face. She stood, and the girls grasped hands as they headed for the main stage.
Before stepping onto the floor for the first time, they both removed their robes revealing their costumes for the first time.
"Well look at what we have here? Finally decided to join us?" Seamus said, as the girls approached a group consisting of him, Peter, Draco, Lindsay and Whitney.
"My fault I'm afraid, my hair is a beast to be tamed" Hermione said laughing, as they sat in seats which was soon be occupied by audience members, Angelina slipping into the seat to her right.
"Feeling any calmer yet?" Draco asked, looking over the two girls, his eyes lingering over Hermione as he smiled.
"A little, but I'm sure as soon as the audience gets here, I'm going to be nervous again" She replied, and Angelina nodded in agreement.
"Well, you both look stunning so, one less thing to worry about" Peter said, winking at the two girls.
Around an hour and a half later, they were ready for filming to start, and Hermione felt those butterflies in her stomach stirring back to the life.
Just before they started recording, the pro's and celebs all gathered backstage, arms around one another in a huge group circle.
"You guys are going to do great, we'll see you on the other side" Tom said, as he began extracting himself from the circle.
Hermione felt a squeeze of a hand, and turned to find Draco smiling at her encouragingly. She smiled back in response, and watched as he disappeared around the corner, off to go and get ready to perform the series opening number.
About 10 minutes into recording, they finally moved onto the celebrity portion, and Hermione found herself standing at the bottom of some stairs, waiting for their names to be called.
"Now, what do you reckon should we meet the people who are going to be competing for the Glitter-ball this year?" Tina Mahone, the main host of the show asked the crowd, who cheered.
"Well, its time then…" The other host, Olivia Harrison continued.
"To meet our Strictly Stars" They said together, and Hermione knew they'd moved off the main platform to make room for their group.
And then the lines began to move, and Hermione let out a deep breath, Seamus smiling down at her comfortingly.
"TV Doctor, Diana McCall" The voice over man said, and they began the slow climb up the stairs which would lead to their descent on the other side in front of the audience and cameras.
"Footballer, Zachary Bell"
"Singer, Phoebe Stevens"
"Actor and Singer, Charlie Walsh"
"TV News Anchor, Anna Cole"
"Ex-Cricketer, Jason Whitman"
"Gymnast, Maria Adamson"
"Olympic Gold Medalist, Daniel Hulmes"
"Soap Opera Star, Tanya Gutierrez"
"Boyband Star, Nicholas Marshall"
"TV Presenter, Simon Lake"
"Children's TV Personality, Hannah Reid"
"Irish Rugby Captain, Seamus Finnegan"
"Tennis Star and Wimbledon Champion, Angelina Johnson"
And then finally it was Hermione's turn, and she took a deep breath as she stepped out onto the stop of the stairs waving and smiling.
"And Finally, Author and Stage Actress, Hermione Granger"
Descending the stairs, she headed for her mark, which they'd all been shown earlier, and let herself bop to the theme music, relieving some nerves.
"And there they are, 15 gorgeous celebrities hoping to get their hands on our glitter-ball trophy" Tina said, and Hermione glanced around her for the first time, taking in her surroundings. Looking over to the judges she identified them all, from Martin Thomas, seated next to Selina Valentine, followed by Zoe Chalmers and then on the other end Tim Lineman.
"Yes, and I think it's about time for us all to see who they're going to be dancing with for this year!" Olivia said.
"So up first are the gents, please extend a warm welcome to Zachary Bell, Simon Lake, Daniel Hulmes and Jason Whitman" Tina said.
They all vacated the floor for backstage, as VT's which they'd filmed a few days prior were played for the audience and editing benefit.
In the end, Zachary was paired with Ola Aksana, Simon was paired with Michelle Norris, Daniel was partnered with Rachel Evans, and Jason was partnered with the considerably younger Aliona Kopilova.
They did a short interview with Olivia, before the attention turned back to Tina for the second round of parings.
"Now that half our gents coupled up, lets pair up some of our lovely ladies" Tina said. "Please welcome, Tanya Gutierrez, Maria Adamson, Phoebe Stevens and Anna Cole"
The VT's played and the girls organised themselves on their marks, the male pro's spreading out for the cameras benefit, before Tina was cued again.
Hermione watched anxiously, deep down hoping no one got paired with Draco as she secretly hoped to be paired with him, they'd got on immensely well in rehearsals.
In the end, Tanya was paired with Matthew Parkinson, Maria was paired with Tom Malloy, Phoebe's partner was Michael Peace and Anna's partner was Anthony Baker. Thanking her lucky stars that Draco had yet to be paired up, she watched as Olivia conducted her interviews again. The groups all gathered backstage, half partnered up already, the rest still buzzing with nervous energy.
A musical intermission was filmed, before Tina was cued once more, to pair up the remaining gentlemen.
Hermione watched with bated breath, hoping Seamus got the partner he'd been hoping for.
"Welcome Seamus Finnegan everybody!" Tina said, and Seamus moved to the host. "So, rumour has it you know exactly who you want to be paired with?"
"Yeah, I have some idea of who I'd like" Seamus replied, the cheeky charm leaking through again.
"Well, I won't make you wait any longer, Seamus, your partner is… the lovely Lindsey Thompson" Tina announced, and Hermione let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, as he was paired with the pro he wanted.
In the end, Seamus was with Lindsey, Nicholas was with Karen Lewis, and Charlie was partnered with Witney Larson.
Hermione shook out her remaining nerves as she edged closer to the stage.
"And finally, let's pair up our remaining girls, welcome Dianna McCall, Angelina Johnson, Hermione Granger and Hannah Reid" Tina said, as the VT's began rolling, and they slid into position, the remaining male pro's doing the same.
"Please welcome, Dianna McCall" Tina said, as Dianna moved over to the host. "Hello my darling, doctor in the house! How are you feeling?"
"Nervously excited" Dianna replied, her hands visibly shaking.
"I can tell, she's shaking ladies and gentlemen." Tina said, her hand clutched in Dianna's. "Shall we put you out of your misery? Dianna, your partner is… Liam McKay!"
Liam ran over to the pair, and Hermione sighed in relief when she discovered Draco still was yet to be given a partner. Once they had made their way over to the sky box to see Olivia, Tina turned back to the camera again.
"Next up is Angelina Johnson" Hermione cheered as Angelina descended the stairs, and she prayed Angelina would get one of her top choices for a partner. "Hi Angelina, how does the Strictly floor compare to the Wimbledon court?"
"Well, there's a lot less grass and a lot more sequins, and I'm way more nervous now than I have ever been for a grand slam!" Angelina said, laughing.
"Very true!" Tina said. "Would you like to know who your partner is?" Tina asked, and Angelina nodded in response. "Taking you for a spin on our dancefloor is… Peter Fletcher!"
Hermione cheered for her friend, knowing Peter was her friends top choice for a partner and that she would be delighted. She regained her composure just in time, as Tina sent Angelina and Peter off to the sky box.
"Our final celebrity to be announced is up next, please welcome to the floor Hermione Granger" Tina said, and she walked steadily over to Tina, trying to quell her nerves as best as she could. "Now someone told me, you're very nervous about this?"
"I'm terrified Tina" Hermione said, her hand shaking violently within Tina's grasp.
"Oh, you're shaking like a leaf, let's get this over with for you. Hermione your partner this year is… Draco Malfoy!" Hermione sighed in relief as his name was called.
Draco headed for her and Tina, wrapping his arms around her, lifting her off her feet, before settling on her left, his arm wrapped around her waist, thumb brushing against the bare skin he found there, in the gap between the top of her outfit and the skirt.
"Draco, you clearly look very happy about this pairing" Tina commented.
"I am, after working together in rehearsals for the group dance, I'm excited to see what this girl can really do" He replied earnestly, and Hermione smiled, feeling more at ease with him beside her.
"Well, congratulations, head up to the sky box!" Tina said, "Hermione and Draco everyone!"
Grabbing her hand, Draco began jogging, pulling her up the stairs, where they climbed up to Olivia and her sofas.
Finally, Hannah joined them with her partner Vincent Alamore, and Olivia waited to be cued before she began interviewing the couples.
Hermione tuned out of much of it, Draco's arm remained around her, and she placed her hand over his on her hip, playing with his fingers.
"I'm glad it was you" He whispered in her ear, startling her slightly.
"Me too" She replied quickly.
"Now, Hermione and Draco, you two seem very happy with this partnership" Olivia turned her attention to them.
"I'm honestly so happy, its untrue" Hermione said. "I couldn't have asked for a better partner, seriously"
"Yeah, I'm super excited to see what she can do and see where this goes, who knows what will happen" Draco said.
The interview continued for a little longer, before they were all ushered out of the sky box and directed back onto the floor ready for their group dance. Hermione's hand never left Draco's and surprisingly she found she didn't mind.
Hitting their mark, she clambered on his shoulders, and he stood, waiting for the nod from the director, for Draco to begin the lift.
"And now performing for the first time" The director nodded, and Draco lifted her, waiting for the music cue to begin spinning. "This year's class of Strictly Stars!" Tina said, and the music began, the pair executing their lift to perfection, and once back on the ground, she smiled at Seamus, as they headed for their next positions.
As the music ended and confetti exploded, the host joining the chaos on the floor, Hermione found herself securely in Draco's arms, them still in their end pose. Pulling her straight they watched the presenters.
"There they are, and what an exciting series we're in for" Tina said.
"Join us in 2 weeks time, the 7th of September, when our couples will be taking to the floor for the first time!" Olivia said.
"And in the mean time… you ready Liv?" Tina asked, grabbing her co-hosts hands.
Hermione felt Draco grab her right hand in preparation. "Keeeep Dancing!" The said together, and Draco began rocking her.
After that the director yelled cut, and Hermione was left to think about what the hell was going to happen in the next 3 months!
Here you go, first chapter, re-written for you!
Let me know what you think!
DWMS6