How Long We Gonna Do This Dance?

by LineWife

"Meeting in the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning, the friend group took their usual place at the end of the Hufflepuff table. Traditionally, students sat with their own houses for meals, but their group had determined early on that they didn't care about traditions, whether those related to their houses, dress codes, gender roles, or heteronormativity."

Alex Mercer was tired. His friends were all idiots, which he meant in the most affectionate of ways. Affectionate, but accurate, as they had definitely earned the title.

He was currently in the library, where he was supposed to be meeting Willie to study, but the long-haired skater was running late, which was not an unusual occurrence.

Slumping in his seat, Alex mentally went over the questions he had for Willie. Transfiguration was not his strongest subject, but Willie excelled at it, and Alex was really looking forward to picking his brain.

He was so deep in thought that he completely missed Julie dropping into the chair across from him.

Julie cleared her throat, and Alex started. When he looked up, the younger girl smiled at him. "Hey, 'Lex. How's it going?"

Alex smiled back warmly. "It's all right, Jules. I'm waiting for Willie to help me study for Transfiguration, but maybe he's forgotten?"

Just then, Willie came rushing up to the table, out of breath, and dropped into the seat next to Alex. "I'm so sorry I'm late. Reggie was in the middle of a bi-panic over Luke, and I couldn't just abandon him."

Alex groaned, "Oh, Godric, those two idiots are so oblivious, aren't they? Last week, Reggie was having a bad day, and almost all of us took a shot at cheering him up, but he didn't even crack a smile until Luke told some stupid joke."

Julie laughed, then said, "That's nothing! Two days ago I watched Luke offer to let Reggie play his guitar."

Alex and Willie both stared at her in disbelief, and she raised her hands in mock surrender. "I swear, guys, I nearly passed out, I was so shocked. He doesn't even let me touch his guitar, but he handed it to Reggie without a second thought!"

Alex slapped a hand on the table, earning them a nasty look from the librarian. He cringed slightly, but then grinned. "I bet they're together before the upcoming dance."

Julie smiled. "I'll take that bet, but I think it'll be after the dance."

They both turned and looked at Willie expectantly. He shrugged. "I guess I'll take 'get together at the dance' since that's all that is left. What are we betting for? Bragging rights?"

Alex and Julie exchanged a glance. Alex shrugged, and Julie smiled.

Turning back to Willie, she said, "What if the winner can make each loser write them one essay for their best class? Willie, you rock Transfiguration, so you'd write us a Transfiguration essay. Alex, you're amazing in Potions, and I can outdo anyone in Charms, so we'd do those."

The three friends looked at each other for a moment, then broke into smiles. "Deal," they chorused, then broke into a laughing fit.

Alex stumbled through the door of the common room, shaking his head. He didn't have any idea how long Luke had been standing in the hallway, trying to answer the door knocker, before he came back from the library. "Oh my God, Luke, how the hell did you get sorted into Ravenclaw?! That was an easy riddle!" he groaned in frustration.

Luke shrugged. "I asked the Sorting Hat nicely?"

Alex stared at the shorter boy in disbelief for a moment. "That's not... okay." He gave up on the issue and moved to more interesting, if just as frustrating, topics. "Have you found the nerve to ask Reggie to the dance? If you don't do it soon, someone else is gonna ask him!"

Luke blushed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Reggie? I- I- I- I don't know what you're talking about, man." Luke scuffed his shoe along the ground, refusing to meet Alex's eyes. He had never told Alex that he had asked Reggie out a few different times over the years, and been turned down. Luke had more than a healthy amount of self-esteem. Some might even call him conceited, but even he had a limit to the number of rejections he could handle.

Luke, Alex, and Reggie had known each other since they were kids. It wasn't unusual for the Pureblood families to stick close together, and the secrecy statutes made it quite difficult to befriend muggle children. The three boys had come to Hogwarts at the same time, and their friendship remained strong even after being sorted into different houses.

Luke had always known that Reggie and Alex were good looking guys. He was vain enough to admit he was pretty good looking himself. But it wasn't until sometime around Christmas in third year that he had realized he felt differently about Reggie than he did Alex. At first, he'd assumed it would be a passing phase, like it had been with Julie Molina, or that one Slytherin whose name he had forgotten within a month, or even Alex, who he had stared at for two weeks before realizing he was romantically interested the summer before and doing some research about sexualities. Not wanting to risk their friendship, he had resolved to keep his feelings to himself until they went away. But they didn't.

After he had done some research, which was not his forte, Luke figured out he was pansexual. He took a bit to settle into that before he told his boys, who were both just as accepting and loving as Luke and Reggie had been when Alex came out to them.

Determined not to make Reggie uncomfortable, Luke had tried to keep his crush to himself. It wasn't until almost two years later, in fifth year, that Reggie told Luke and Alex he was bisexual, and Luke felt his heart swell with hope. He had been hopelessly in love with Reggie for the better part of the last two years, all the while thinking there was no hope that Reggie could ever feel the same.

Shaking himself out of his memories, Luke saw Alex standing there smirking at him. Not wanting to listen to Alex, who had figured out Luke's crush within the first three months, he decided it was definitely time to take the heat off of himself. Luke questioned, "When are you gonna ask that skater Hufflepuff that Reggie hangs out with?"

Alex turned red, knowing exactly who Luke meant, and knowing Luke was well aware of his name, considering they had all been friends for years, but he refused to give him the satisfaction of rising to his bait. He sniffed haughtily, then parroted, "I don't know what you're talking about. But I can almost guarantee you I'll have a date for the dance before you do."

Luke's grin turned evil, always down for a friendly challenge. He kept his mouth shut, simply nodding his agreement, then calmly suggesting that they put the challenge on a piece of enchanted parchment to make sure neither of them tried to change the terms of the challenge later.

Luke smirked as he signed his name in his usual illegible scrawl. He couldn't wait to see the expression on Alex's face when he won the challenge and gained bragging rights. Alex hated to lose, no matter what it was.

In another part of the castle, Julie was curled up, looking quite cozy, in an overstuffed chair in the Hufflepuff common room, where she had been studying for one of her advanced classes with Willie. Flynn was on the other side of the room, sprawled out on a comfortable sofa. The three Muggle-borns grew up in the same neighborhood, but though Julie and Flynn had been best friends since kindergarten, and they were friendly with him, they hadn't been close to Willie until they all ended up at Hogwarts together.

Julie had been used to running into Willie at the corner shop, him on his skateboard and her on her bike, but he had vanished one day when Julie was 10. It was only a year later, when Julie was 11 and Professor Minerva McGonagall had shown up to tell the Molina family that Julie was a witch, that she discovered why Willie had disappeared.

After lots of questions, some tears, and more cups of tea than Julie could count, she had called Flynn to break the news, only to find out that Flynn had also received a visit from McGonagall earlier in the day and been left with strict instructions not to call Julie until after the Professor had been there as well.

The day after Professor McGonagall's visit, Willie was once again at the corner shop, waiting for Julie, excited to tell her all about Hogwarts and the castle, the Great Lake, the different houses and the classes she would be able to take. He taught her about house-elves and mermaids and about the feasts they had for every meal. By the time they both headed home that evening, Julie couldn't wait to board the Hogwarts Express.

Now, with Willie in his 6th year and Julie and Flynn in their 5th, they had fallen into a comfortable routine for studying.

Willie came back in through the entrance, followed closely by several house-elves, all laden down with snacks and drinks. "We brought study fuel," he cheered, then turned and thanked the house-elves as they dropped off their loads. He offered fist bumps and high fives all around, much to the confusion of the house-elves, but almost all of them took him up on it.

Shoving Flynn's legs off the couch, which earned him a rude gesture, Willie started, "So. My fellow Muggle-borns. I'm assuming we are all more than well-aware of the dance that is coming up, correct?"

Flynn snorted, and Julie rolled her eyes.

"As if anyone could actually remain unaware of that stupid dance," Flynn snarked.

Willie and Julie smirked at each other, knowing that Flynn had a crush on her fellow Slytherin, Carrie Wilson, but she hadn't been brave enough to make a move yet. Julie spoke up before Flynn could get any further into her rant. "Obviously we know about the dance, Willie. I even filled Flynn in on the bet we made with Alex. What's up?" Motioning to the older boy, she directed him to a seat on the floor in front of her and started braiding his long hair.

Willie smiled slyly, leaning into Julie's ministrations. "Well, I was thinking - and this goes triple for you, Flynn - that the three of us should make a pact to turn down all invitations to the dance. Let's go together in a group. Way less pressure, since we all know and love each other, and we're just friends."

Flynn sputtered for a moment, finally getting out, "Why triple for me?! What have I done?"

He smirked, taking a moment to think about the ones he knew each of them were crushing on, then continued, "Flynnie, I don't know who you think you're fooling, but you have had a crush on Carrie for longer than Julie has liked Nick or I've had an eye on Alex. I think they could stand to be knocked down a peg or two, don't you?"

Julie looked across the room to Flynn, who nodded, then gave Willie's hair a gentle tug in her hands. "Actually, I got over that crush on Nick quite a while ago. I have moved on since then. But you got it, Willie. No dates. We all go together as friends."

Willie relaxed under Julie's hands, leaning back and closing his eyes in contentment, a soft smirk playing across his face as he imagined the reactions they would get when they were inevitably asked to the dance.

Meeting in the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning, the friend group took their usual place at the end of the Hufflepuff table. Traditionally, students sat with their own houses for meals, but their group had determined early on that they didn't care about traditions, whether those related to their houses, dress codes, gender roles, or heteronormativity.

Luke intentionally chose the seat next to Julie, smoothing the skirt of his uniform under himself as he sat. He hadn't done that the first couple of times he wore a skirt, and he knew from experience just how cold the benches were on bare skin.

He leaned closer, giving her his signature puppy dog eyes. Luke knew everyone thought that he and Julie had a mutual crush, but they were both aware that their connection wasn't romantic. Julie might appreciate his biceps, which he enjoyed showing off by ripping off the sleeves of his robes, and Luke might love Julie's voice, but they'd long since realized they were only platonic soulmates, not romantic.

Luke smiled cockily, thinking about the fact that he was about to win the challenge with Alex, then whispered, "Jules! Hey! Wanna go to the dance together?"

Julie threw a vague smile in Luke's direction, murmured, "No, thanks," then turned back to her conversation with Bobby and Carrie.

Luke sat there in shock for a few seconds, unsure how to respond to the rejection. He looked across the table, catching Reggie's eye. Reggie shot a sweet smile in his direction, and Luke's cheeks turned pink. He returned the smile shyly. He briefly considered asking Reggie to the dance, but Luke didn't know if his ego could stand another blow. He was going to find a date who wasn't Reggie and continue pining from afar. It seemed safer to him. He threw a flirty wink at Reggie, then turned to talk to Nick.

Reggie blushed as Luke winked at him, but smiled shyly.

He had almost worked up his nerve to ask Luke to go to the dance with him, had even thought he might ask over breakfast, but then Luke had walked in wearing that skirt, and all speech capabilities abandoned Reggie.

As Luke turned to talk to Nick, Reggie looked down at his plate, cursing his own inability to just speak up and ask for what he wanted.

Later that day, in the Herbology class that the Slytherins and Ravenclaws shared, Professor Sprout split the students into pairs to work on Devil's Snare. Luke maneuvered until the Professor paired him with Flynn, giving the Slytherin girl his best smile.

Flynn eyed him suspiciously. "I don't know what's on your mind, white boy, but you better get it right out of there. We've got work to do, and you aren't ruining my GPA because you're too busy scheming."

Luke's brow furrowed, a question clear on his face as he said, "What in the world is GPA? Gay Poltergeist Association?" He gasped, his eyes sparkling. "A Poltergayst Association!"

Flynn rolled her eyes at his over dramatic delivery. "Never you mind, Pureblood. I don't have time to explain GPAs to you right now, other than to remind you that my mum's an American. We have to get these re-potted before Professor Sprout has our heads."

Luke rolled his eyes right back at her, knowing she wasn't actually mad at him. "Please, Flynn, Professor S loves me. Anyway, I was wondering if you would go to the dance with me?"

Flynn cackled, not even turning around to face Luke. When he didn't start laughing with her, she slowly lifted her head and met his eyes. Seeing the frustration there, she stopped laughing, gently saying, "Luke, baby. You do realize I'm a lesbian, right?"

Luke did huff out a laugh at that. "Just as friends, Flynn. I'm just looking for a friend to go to the dance with, both so that I can win a challenge against Alex and so I don't have to go stag."

Flynn looked him up and down thoughtfully, then said, "No, babe. You're definitely eye candy, and damn, can you pull off a skirt, but I'm not gonna go to the dance with you. Why don't you ask Reggie?"

Luke frowned, wondering if their entire friend group was aware of his crush. He knew Alex wouldn't have told anyone. They were too close for that. Deciding that he had been subtle enough that they couldn't possibly have any idea, he quietly went to work helping Flynn re-pot the dangerous plants.

Sitting at a table in the library during a break between classes, Willie hummed thoughtfully.

"Jules, Flynnie," Willie's eyes had that spark that meant he was ready to make trouble, "since we're the only Muggle-borns of our friend group, how about we have a little fun with this dance?"

Julie hummed, pretending she had to think about it, but then smiled a perfectly evil smile, while Flynn just smirked, asking, "Will it fuck with Luke, Carrie, and Alex?" She was practically salivating at the thought.

Willie's grin grew, knowing that he already had them on board, even if fucking with Alex's head hadn't been his top priority. "Not just them, but every Pureblood in the school, and probably most of the professors, as well."

Julie cheered, then was immediately shushed by both Willie and the librarian, while Flynn covered her mouth to muffle her laughter. Julie peeked at the older boy from under her lashes as she leaned closer. "Tell us more."

At dinner that evening, Reggie ended up between Julie and Flynn. The two girls had a definite case of the giggles, and Reggie's curiosity was piqued.

Looking back and forth between the two girls with a smile on his face, he finally asked, "What has you two so giddy tonight?"

Julie and Flynn locked eyes once again, immediately breaking into giggles. Julie was the first to be able to control her giggles enough to speak. "Luke asked each of us to the dance today, and we both turned him down."

Breaking into a fresh fit of giggles, she completely missed the crestfallen expression on Reggie's face.

Walking to the common room at the end of the day, Alex once again rescued Luke outside the door, the latter exclaiming, "My answers were perfectly valid, Alexander, I can't help it that the door knocker wouldn't accept them!"

Alex sighed, shaking his head slowly. "Lucas, it asked 'what comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?' and your response was, 'hopefully the answer isn't me, that would be miserable.' Did you really think that would get you in?"

Luke smirked. "I stand by my answer. I would be miserable. Now…did you find a date for the dance?"

Alex's brow furrowed, and Luke's heart dropped. "No," he mumbled, "I think Willie was avoiding me today."

He looked so down that Luke couldn't resist wrapping him in a hug, which Alex melted into. "It's okay, 'Lex," he whispered, rubbing a comforting hand along Alex's back, "We'll figure this out."

Reggie was running too late for breakfast in the Great Hall the next morning, and was grateful the Hufflepuff common room was so close to the kitchen. Tickling the pear that would let him in, Reggie gave a faint smile at the sound of the soft giggle. Stepping through the doorway, he was only mildly surprised to see Willie sitting at the table, a loaded plate in front of him.

Plopping onto the seat across from his friend, Reggie dropped his head onto his arms, letting out a loud sigh. "Why are you in here?" he mumbled to the table.

Willie looked a little ashamed, but admitted, "I'm hiding from Alex. But don't tell him that, please. I don't want him to get the wrong idea. Why are you here, instead of staring at whatever it is Luke has done to today's uniform?" Willie smirked.

Reggie groaned. "I couldn't sleep last night. Julie told me at supper that Luke asked her and Flynn to go to the dance with him," he whined. "And did you see him in that skirt yesterday? I swear he's trying to kill me, Wills. Kill me dead. I'll be deader than one of Luna Lovegood's nargles."

Willie, well used to Reggie dramatics by now, just smirked again. "If you thought yesterday's skirt was bad, just wait until you see today's outfit. It might be enough to bring you back from that nargle like death."

Reggie wailed, startling the house elf that was placing a full plate in front of him. He wailed louder as scrambled eggs and toast covered his lap, and Willie tried to hide his laughter. The elf scurried away, whether to find something to clean Reggie or up or to replace the food, Willie wasn't sure.

Reaching across the table to pat Reggie's hand, Willie tried to reassure him. "It'll be okay, Reg. I promise not to let you drop dead, no matter how fit Luke looks. I got your back."

Reggie looked at Willie with his eyebrows raised, then stopped to smile at the elf that placed a fresh plate in front of him. "Thank you, kind sir," Reggie inclined his head in the elf's direction. The elf squeaked in surprise and scrambled away, leaving Reggie to dig into his breakfast before he was late to class.

Their first class of the day was a double period of Potions with Ravenclaw. Reggie didn't exactly mind it, though it wasn't his favorite class. Today they were brewing a new type of potion, and the dungeon was already starting to get warm when the two houses walked in. Willie and Reggie walked straight to their normal table, dropped their bags, then went to the cupboard to start pulling out the ingredients listed on the board.

Just as Reggie grabbed the dried flobberworms they would need, he heard Luke's voice behind him. "Godric, it's hot in here, isn't it?" Knowing Luke's propensity for stripping as far as the teachers would allow, Reggie refused to turn around. Professor Snape would have his head if he dropped the ingredients he was holding.

Willie turned first, and whistled softly under his breath. "Better brace yourself, Reg, or you may swallow your tongue." Even Willie sounded a little flustered, though that could definitely be because Luke and Alex were almost always together.

Reggie turned from the cabinet and quickly walked back to their table, making sure not to let his eyes wander off to the sides. By the time he had carefully placed the ingredients he carried on the table and used his wand to start the fire under their cauldron, he was sure he had himself sufficiently under control to take a peek.

He was wrong. So wrong. Reggie's eyes nearly popped out of his head once they had found Luke. He was across the room, talking to Alex, and he was wearing… Reggie swallowed. Luke had on a skirt, even shorter than yesterday's, with knee high socks, nice dress shoes, and a button down. Apparently deciding it was too warm for his robes, he had taken those off, rolled his button down sleeves to his elbows, and left the shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, choosing to tie his house tie around his left bicep. To top off the outfit, he had chosen today of all days to wear eyeliner, accentuating the green in his eyes.

Willie nudged Reggie with his elbow. "Dude, reel it in. You look like Pepe le Pew right now."

Reggie shook his head, confused. "Who?"

Giggling, Willie said, "Pepe le Pew. He's a cartoon skunk. He follows this cat around and makes heart eyes at her all the time."

Reggie blinked wide eyes at Willie several times, trying to puzzle out what he had just heard. "Are...are you calling me a skunk? Or Luke a cat?"

Willie laughed even harder, now practically doubled over behind the table. Reggie looked up in time to see Alex looking over in confusion. He smiled distractedly in the general direction of the Ravenclaws, then ducked down to try to understand what Willie was saying. Reggie was pretty sure that the only thing coming out of Willie's mouth was "Awooga!" but he had no idea what it meant.

Rolling his eyes and deciding to pretend he was working alone, Reggie stood back up and started preparing his ingredients for his potion.

He was lost in his head about how it felt like home when Luke cuddled with him, and didn't realize someone was approaching. He looked up again when he heard a throat being cleared, only to see Luke standing in front of his table. Willie was still doubled over in laughter, and Reggie silently vowed revenge on him.

Luke smiled his most winning smile, and Reggie felt the blush spread across his face. Luke's smile widened, then he asked, "Do you have any spare flobberworms? I didn't manage to snag any from the cabinet."

Reggie's heart skipped a beat when Luke asked him about the flobberworms. Ever since Luke had rather suggestively asked if Reggie would like to study together and he'd had to regretfully decline because of a dueling club meeting, he had hoped Luke would ask him out again. Their game of cat and mouse (cat and skunk, according to Willie) had been going on for far too long. Reggie had asked Luke to the last Hogsmeade weekend and Luke had somehow managed to turn it into a group outing, so as far as Reggie was concerned it was Luke's turn to make a move.

He looked at his carefully prepared flobberworms for a moment, then scooped them up and passed them over, immediately tipping out more to be prepared.

Luke looked back and forth between the prepared flobberworms and Reggie for a moment, then his smile turned shy. "Thanks, man," he murmured. Prepping the ingredients was his least favorite part of Potions. It was far too finicky and required more patience than Luke had.

Luke's cheeks turned pink when he realized how well Reggie knew him, and he quickly moved back to his table, hoping that Reggie hadn't noticed the color.

Reggie peeked up from under his lashes, pretending he was prepping his new batch of flobberworms, but actually watching Luke walk away. When he looked back down, he saw that Willie was watching him again, shoulders shaking with laughter. With a sharp look, Reggie muttered, "Shut up, or I'll invite Alex to the dance with me."

Willie sobered up immediately, standing and grabbing a knife to help with ingredient prep. He whispered a quick, "I'll behave," but Reggie could see he was still fighting the giggles.

Sighing, Reggie turned back to his flobberworms, and if he stole several more glances at Luke throughout the rest of the class period, Willie was smart enough to not mention it.

At lunch that day, Willie pulled Julie aside to tell her about Potions. He was laughing so hard he was having trouble getting the words out, but in between giggles, Julie managed to catch "Pepe," "skunk," and "awooga."

In a clear testament to how long they had known each other, Julie was able to piece it together. The fact that Reggie tripped over his own feet when he saw Luke at the lunch table may have also given her a little bit of a hint about what had happened. Raising an amused eyebrow at Flynn, Julie said, "Hey, Flynnie, you remember that cartoon my mom used to have us watch when she was babysitting you? The one where the wolf...was it a wolf? Anyway, the one guy sees the pretty girl, and his tongue rolls out across the floor, and that 'AWOOGA' sound goes off?"

Flynn grimaced. "Yeah, I remember. Damn objectification of women and unrealistic expectations for kids," Flynn devolved into a mumbled rant, and Julie tried to get her attention back to the topic at hand.

"Anyway…Flynn!" Flynn trailed off, giving Julie a confused look. "I was trying to tell you that apparently, that cartoon was played out in real time during Potions today."

Flynn leaned closer, propping her chin on her hand, and grinned devilishly. "Tell me more…"

Luke walked up to the entrance to Ravenclaw tower, lost in thought about the hug Reggie had given him when parting ways, only to find Alex doing what he and Reggie had termed his 'model strut'. He had usually spiraled pretty far before he got to the pacing point, so this was cause for concern. Luke asked the door knocker for the riddle to get in, and was told, "I am not alive, but I grow; I don't have lungs, but I need air; I don't have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?"

Luke looked at Alex incredulously. "Really, 'Lex? Even I know that one." Turning back to the door knocker, Luke smirked, then said, "Fire." Ushering Alex through the opening, he watched as his friend headed straight towards one of the common room couches and collapsed, face down.

Alex groaned something from the couch, but with his face buried, Luke couldn't understand a word he said. Walking over and laying a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder, Luke had an internal debate about whether he should speak up or keep quiet.

Before he could decide, Alex sat up, then threw himself backwards, groaning towards the ceiling. "I asked Willie to the dance. He smiled, but then said he already had other plans. I'm still gonna be single when I'm 50!" Alex had started out quiet, but by the time he got to the end, he was practically wailing.

Luke paused for a second, trying to hold it in, then said, "Don't be silly, 'Lex, of course you won't be single at 50!"

Alex sat up, looking grateful, and started to say something, but before he could get a single word out, Luke continued, "You're friends with me. The chances of you making it to 50 are slim to none!"

Alex's head dropped back on to the couch and he groaned again. "You're an asshole, Luke."

Luke dropped to the couch beside him and sighed. "Yeah. I really am."

The next morning at breakfast, Alex was still pissy towards Luke for his joke and Luke was still trying to figure out who he could ask to the dance. They sat at the end of the Hufflepuff table and talked quietly, only looking up when Bobby sat down next to Luke, grabbing for a cup of coffee without even a greeting.

Shooting a quick wink in Luke's direction, Alex turned towards Bobby with a slight smile. "Gosh, I've been trying to catch up with Willie all week, and it just hasn't happened. I wonder if I can find someone to give him a note for me?"

Bobby glared at him over the rim of his coffee cup, clearly unimpressed with the charade. "He is literally three seats down from you, Alexander. Get your ass up and walk over there," he deadpanned.

Luke bounced in his seat, wearing uniform pants for once so he didn't have to worry about the cold seat. The bouncing jostled Bobby's coffee, and he leveled a death stare at Luke.

"Lucas, if you spill my coffee...I will ask Reggie to go to the dance with me."

Luke stopped bouncing immediately, his mouth dropping open in disbelief. "Bobbert. Bobbers. Bobbin. You wouldn't do that. Would you?"

Bobby just glared, refilling his coffee cup without ever breaking eye contact, then grabbed a piece of toast and stood up. "Gentlemen," he said drily, "good luck with your dates." He managed to wait until he had gotten away from the table before he started to smirk. He loved his friends, but they were an absolute mess.

Bobby spent the rest of the day doing his absolute best to avoid Luke. He didn't worry quite as much about Alex, he wasn't as pushy, but Luke could test the patience of a saint when he got an idea stuck in his head.

Bobby didn't really have any intention of asking Reggie. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't do that to a friend. Besides, he had his eye on someone else, and was working on his own courage to ask her to the dance. Luke didn't need to know any of that, though.

Bobby was just popping out of one of the hidden passages he used to get around without running into his friends, which left him standing out of sight behind a statue, when he heard a group of familiar voices. He stayed where he was, not intending to eavesdrop, but wanting to make sure Luke wasn't with the group before he revealed himself.

He heard Willie's voice first. "How is the plan going, ladies? Are we all still on the same page?"

Next Bobby heard Flynn laugh, and his heart beat faster, because if Flynn were in on this plan, then that meant…

Julie started talking, and Bobby felt heat flood his cheeks. He had always been fond of the younger girl, but it was only in the last year or so that he had developed a crush on her, and now he felt like someone had cast Silencio on him every time he was around her. Luckily for him, with friends like Luke and Reggie around, he and Alex had a reputation for being quiet.

Shaking his head to clear it, Bobby tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Julie saying, "...asked both of us, and we both said no. Flynn even went so far as to suggest he ask Reggie, but so far as I know, he hasn't. How about you, Willie? How's it going?"

Willie snorted. "I've been trying to get Alex to ask me out for 5 years, with nothing. Now, we make this stupid deal…" Bobby couldn't see what was happening, but there was a hesitation to Willie's voice, and Bobby would almost place a bet that the girls were giving Willie their patented unimpressed glare, complete with one raised eyebrow each. "Okay, fine, I suggested this stupid deal, and now he's seeking me out all the time! I'm not sure I can hold out." His voice had turned decidedly whiny by the end of his sentence.

Julie huffed out a laugh, and Bobby could practically hear the fond eye roll that went with it. He smiled, wishing he could actually see her at that moment. She sounded happy, light. He hadn't seen her quite so free since her mom had passed away, and he found himself hoping to catch just a glimpse.

Leaning forward to peek around the statue, Bobby lost his balance and found himself on the floor, looking up at the three Muggle-borns. "So...some sort of deal, huh?" He smiled sheepishly, then let his head drop to the stone floor, closing his eyes in embarrassment.

He heard a bit of shuffling around him, and when he cracked his eyes open again, it was to see all three of his friends staring down at him, Willie in amusement, Flynn with exasperation, and Julie with a fond expression that made his stomach do strange flips.

Holding her hand out to him, Julie smiled, then said, "Guess you heard a good portion of that?"

His smile turned to a smirk, and he placed his hand in hers, trying to ignore the way the contact made his pulse jump. "I heard enough to know that you're messing with Luke, and I want in."

They were in the library later that evening, "studying" around a large table. Willie had managed to maneuver things so that he was sitting between Alex and Bobby, knowing that Alex wouldn't have the nerve to ask him to the dance in front of all of their friends.

Approximately 30 seconds into their study time, Luke was already bored, and had decided to rope Willie into a discussion of wizard bands versus muggle bands. Luke's current favorite band was The Weird Sisters, and Willie had just blown his mind by admitting he wasn't a fan.

"I just don't get it, Willie, we have The Weird Sisters! How could you possibly think that a muggle band could compare to them?" Luke was always passionate about music, and he didn't have anything against muggles, he was simply positive that the wizard band would be superior. "Who exactly is it that you think is better than The Weird Sisters, anyway?"

Willie, without an ounce of hesitation in his voice, answered, "One Direction." He thought he heard Alex make a little humming sound at that, but when he glanced his way, he hadn't looked up from his book at all.

Luke looked positively outraged. "What in the name of Merlin are you talking about?! The Weird Sisters are way better than No Directions, just ask Alex!"

Willie smirked, then shot a quick look at Alex. "It's ONE Direction, Luke, and you have obviously never listened to them, so how can you say they're no good?"

Luke rolled his eyes, quickly wracking his brain for a song he had heard the last time Alex had made him listen to a muggle boy band. "Of course I've listened to 'em, Wills! They sang Youngblood!"

Without lifting his head from his book, Alex quietly said, "No, that's 5 Seconds of Summer. 1D did that other song you liked, Luke, That's What Makes You Beautiful?"

Willie's head turned sharply, and he looked Alex up and down. Slowly, he murmured, "I like your shoelaces, Mercer."

One side of Alex's mouth curled up, but he still kept his eyes on his book as he responded, "Thanks, I stole them from the president."

Willie's mouth dropped open, and his brain ceased to function for several moments. Finally, he shook his head, smiled widely, then mumbled, "I'm gonna marry this man," under his breath.

For the first time since they had sat down at the table, Alex's head snapped up from his book. He stared at Willie for a second, then stumbled over his words a bit as he asked, "I- I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

Willie's smile grew even wider, and this time, he spoke loudly enough for the entire table to hear. "Hey, Mercer, will you go to the dance with me?"

Alex continued to stare at Willie for several seconds before he calmly lowered his eyes back to his book and responded, "I really wasn't opposed to the first idea, but sure, I'll go to the dance with you."

Willie's brain completely blue screened, and he didn't hear Luke trying to restart their argument about music, he didn't feel Bobby (who had been fully filled in about the deal with the girls) hit his shoulder for asking Alex, and he didn't move when Alex quietly closed his book, shot a smirk at Willie, then stood and left the table.

By the time Luke made it back to their common room, the entire group knew that Alex had just accepted a date to the dance.

Luke was completely torn between being incredibly happy for his friend, being pissed at himself for losing the challenge, being depressed that Reggie didn't like him back, and being worried about whether or not Alex would demand something other than bragging rights from him now that he had won. Alex might tell him no music for a week, or make him shave his head, or he could demand that Luke wear a "proper" uniform for a month, or...the various possibilities were likely to give Luke nightmares.

He answered the riddle on the first try, too impatient to try a smart arse answer like he usually did. Marching into the common room, he looked around for Alex, irritated to see that he wasn't there. With an overdramatic huff, he crossed his arms and threw himself down onto one of the couches to wait for his friend.

Bobby, Flynn and Julie headed straight for the Hufflepuff common room, intent on cornering Willie about what they had just heard in the library. He had gotten a slight head start on them, as they all had to stop and pack up their bags and reshelve the library books before they could leave.

They walked through the door, chattering amongst themselves about who got to tell Willie off first. All three of them stopped in their tracks at the sight of Willie pacing back and forth in front of the couch. He had pulled his hair out of its bun and was twisting and untwisting it as he mumbled to himself. Cautiously drawing closer, they could hear him saying, "Could you have come on more strongly? Honestly, he probably only said yes because everyone was around. A pity yes. All because you couldn't keep your emotions in check for five freaking minutes. There's no way he's interested in you now, if he ever was. You're such a disaster, why would he be interested?"

Years of friendship meant that they were familiar with Willie's more anxious moments, though they rarely got this bad. Over the years they had learned what was most helpful to help him out of this state. Surrounding him, they forced him to sit on the couch, with Julie and Bobby each taking a side and petting his hair, while Flynn sat on the floor and reached up to place a hand over his heart, patting his chest softly.

After several minutes of their ministrations, they finally felt Willie starting to relax. His head slowly dropped down to Bobby's shoulder, and he burrowed himself into Bobby's neck. He took a couple of deep, shuddering breaths, then turned his head so his face was no longer hidden.

Taking that as a sign that he was ready to talk, Julie softly asked, "Willie? Are you okay? How can we help?"

Willie sighed deeply. "Mostly, I just feel like an utter and complete wanker. What was I thinking, asking out Alex Mercer? He only said yes to me to save me the embarrassment of his saying no in front of all of our friends."

Flynn shook her head almost violently, Julie cooed at him, and Bobby started running his fingers through Willie's hair, gently detangling the knots that had been created during his attack.

"Willie," Julie spoke softly, not wanting to send him spiraling again, "that definitely isn't true. Alex really likes you. I'm sure he wants to go to the dance with you. He would be absolutely bonkers to not want to! Also…Wills, didn't he actually ask you last week, and you turned him down?"

Willie nodded hesitantly, and Julie immediately said, "Just because you said no once, that doesn't change his desire to go with you!"

Willie looked at her, disbelief clear on his face. Bobby continued running his fingers through Willie's long hair, but used his other hand to tangle their fingers together, giving Willie something to do with his hands. Willie opened his mouth to deny what Julie had said, but before he could get a single word out, Flynn stopped her gentle pats and slapped his chest instead. Eyes blazing, she bit out, "Do not say another word. He absolutely fancies you, and has for years! He's so gone over you, Willie. That's why I didn't understand why you said you didn't want a date to the dance."

Julie shot a sharp glare at Flynn, who just shrugged. Turning back to Willie, she grabbed his free hand and asked, "Why would you think he doesn't fancy you, hon?"

Willie rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious answer in the world, but finally mumbled, "He avoids me. If we do end up in the same area, he barely speaks to me. If he absolutely has to talk to me, he's sarcastic and a little snotty."

Bobby couldn't hold back his snort at that, but tried to disguise it as a cough. His shoulders started shaking from trying to hold back his laughter, causing Willie's head to shift uncomfortably.

Flynn rolled her eyes. "You can't be serious. William, I am the snottiest, snippiest, most sarcastic person you know." After a brief pause, she added, "Possibly second only to Carrie!" Remembering who else was sitting there, she stopped, then in a slightly more subdued voice, said, "No offense to your sister, Bobby."

Bobby started shaking even harder at that, still trying unsuccessfully to hold his laughter back. He completely stopped running his hands through Willie's hair, and after a moment, he had to actually lean forward and brace his elbows on his knees. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he just waved a hand in Flynn's general direction, still unable to get actual words out.

Willie stared at Bobby as though someone had Confounded him, but finally turned back to Flynn. "Of course you are, but Flynn, that's just how you show affection to us. You are at your bitchiest with those you love."

Flynn and Julie shared a glance, Julie raising her eyebrows and Flynn rolling her eyes. After a few seconds, they seemed to come to a silent agreement, and Julie sighed.

Reaching out and laying a gentle hand on his knee, she said, "I think that's Flynn's point, Wills. Have you ever listened to Alex talk to Luke or Reggie? Sarcasm appears to be his love language."

Willie looked at Julie hopefully, his eyes beginning to shine. "Do you really think so?" He asked hopefully. He turned to lock eyes with Bobby, who was still shaking with laughter, but managed to at least nod his head.

With a last look at each of his friends, Willie finally nodded. "Okay. I'll talk to him at breakfast tomorrow, and we'll make plans for the dance."

With the crisis averted, the four friends said good night and headed to their respective common rooms. Flynn, having to go all the way to the dungeons, barely made it before a Prefect caught her for being out of the dorms after curfew, but she decided that being there for Willie would have been worth a detention.

The next morning, Luke woke with a stiff neck, still in his clothes from the night before. Either Alex hadn't returned to their dorm, or he hadn't bothered to wake Luke up when he had. Luke didn't know which it was, but he was less than happy. He grumbled all the way to the shower, then threw on a clean uniform and headed down to find some breakfast.

Walking into the Great Hall, his eyes immediately locked on Alex. Narrowing his eyes, Luke made a beeline straight for Alex, intent on giving him hell for the night before.

As he plopped down on the bench and actually took a good look at Alex, he changed his mind. His friend was pale, which made the circles under his eyes look even darker, his eyes were slightly bloodshot, and his normally pristine uniform was rumpled. His hair stuck out in all directions, as though he had showered, but then started running his fingers through it while it was wet instead of using a drying spell on it.

Wrapping his arm around Alex's shoulders, Luke tugged until Alex's head landed on his shoulder. "You good, bro? Looks like you had a rough night. Did you ever come back to the dorm?"

Alex lifted his head long enough to give Luke an exasperated look, then dropped it back to his shoulder. "I went back to the dorm and to bed straight from the library, Luke. Where were you?"

Luke sputtered for a moment, the arm Alex wasn't against going up to scratch at the back of his neck. "I- I- I was, uh, waiting in the common room. For you."

Alex just looked at him for a moment, then mumbled, "Never mind that. Okay, I guess I won our challenge. Obviously I get bragging rights, but I want more. You ready to pay up?"

Luke gulped, definitely not ready to 'pay up', as Alex had phrased it. "I'm, uh, I'm not so sure you won, 'Lex. Willie asked you, you didn't ask him. Shouldn't count."

Alex just raised an eyebrow. "Really, Patterson? You're going to try that? You know as well as I do that the challenge was who has a date first, regardless of who did the asking. To the best of my knowledge, you still don't have a date. Am I wrong?" He watched Luke quietly, wondering which way they were going to be playing this. If he was going to win the bet with Willie and Julie, he had to convince Luke to ask Reggie to the dance.

Luke sighed, but didn't say anything as Willie and Reggie approached the table.

Willie gave Alex a sweet smile, then his face turned concerned as he took in his appearance. Sitting down next to him, Willie put a hand on his arm and started speaking quietly to him.

Reggie took a seat on the opposite side of the table, and gave Luke a sweet smile. "How'd you sleep, Luke?"

Luke's cheeks turned pink, and he smiled shyly. "Alright, Reggie. How about you?"

Before they could continue their conversation, the rest of their friends joined them, happily chattering as they reached over each other to grab juice, bacon, and muffins. Luke opened his mouth to say something further, but before he could, Reggie was drawn into a conversation with Bobby and Nick.

Alex leaned over to Luke, whispering, "As I was saying...since I won the challenge, I want you to ask Reggie to the dance."

Luke's hand immediately went to the back of his neck. "What? Are you crazy? He'd never go with me! He isn't interested in me that way."

Alex rolled his eyes, sighing deeply before he said, "If anyone were ever to write a bibliography about you, it'd be called The Life of a Dumbass. And times like this are the exact reason why!"

Standing, he grabbed a last piece of toast, took Willie's hand, and started to march out of the Great Hall.

As they walked away, Luke could hear Willie whispering something about, "It's a biography, 'Lex, not bibliography."

Luke looked in time to see Alex's cheeks turning pink, but he didn't slow down or let go of Willie's hand.

"Hey, Bobbin! Do you have a minute?"

Bobby gave a long-suffering sigh, even though he secretly loved it when Luke called him silly nicknames. Taking a long sip of his coffee before responding, he watched Luke across the table, bouncing on his toes and as energetic as he always was, seemingly unable to stand still.

Raising a sardonic eyebrow, Bobby made a point of looking Luke up and down. "Might wanna watch how much you bounce in that skirt, Patterson. Things could get downright embarrassing."

Luke flushed, but immediately stopped bouncing. "Right. Okay," he smiled sheepishly. "So can I talk to you?"

Bobby continued to stare at him in silence, which Luke took as permission to sit down and talk. "So, apparently Alex has it in his head that I have a crush on Reggie."

Bobby's eyebrow went back up, and he stared at Luke in disbelief. "You don't say? Whyever in the world would he think that?" The level of sarcasm in his voice would have made even Alex jealous, had he been at breakfast yet.

Unfortunately, it flew right over Luke's head. "Right? I don't know where he could have gotten that idea. Anyway, that isn't the point of this." Luke grabbed a few pieces of toast, and started piling eggs and bacon on top of them.

Bobby watched in disgusted amusement as Luke built a huge sandwich out of breakfast foods, then started devouring it. As he watched him eat, Bobby's mind wandered back to the times he had witnessed small, seemingly innocent touches, watched Luke seek Reggie's approval first, seen Reggie help Luke master a difficult spell. Bobby was a pretty observant guy, and over the years, he had witnessed countless little moments that told him how things were; how Luke and Reggie both felt. He thought they would have gotten their act together long before now, but Merlin, were those two oblivious to what was right in front of them.

Shaking his head free of his thoughts, Bobby noticed that Luke had finished his breakfast in record time. "So, was there a reason you were telling me about your crush on Reggie?"

Luke's eyes grew as wide as dinner saucers, and he almost lost the last bite that he had just put into his mouth. He chewed quickly while his hand went up to scratch the back of his neck.

Bobby smirked as he watched, enjoying how easy it was to fluster Luke. He refilled his coffee cup and grabbed a piece of toast, calmly waiting for Luke to finish chewing so he could hear whatever excuse he had this time.

Luke finally swallowed, then grabbed Bobby's cup and took a huge gulp of scalding hot coffee. He nearly spit it out all over Bobby before he managed to swallow, then grabbed for the pumpkin juice, hoping to cool his mouth off.

Bobby just watched him with a smug smile on his face. "Serves you right for stealing my coffee, you git." He leaned back on the bench, as completely at ease as if there were actually something there to support his weight.

Luke glared at him, but there was no heat behind it. "Anyway. Alex and I had this challenge going, and he won, so now he's demanding I pay up by asking Reggie to the dance! But I don't know how to do that without making things weird. I can't mess up our friendship, Bobbers, I just can't."

Bobby nodded thoughtfully. As Luke had started talking, he had every intention of messing with him, but the earnest plea in his voice had Bobby rethinking his plans. After all, he hadn't asked Julie to the dance for the exact same reason.

Though they had been in the same friend group for the last several years, Bobby and Julie hadn't really gotten close until this past year. Bobby was slow to trust, especially anyone he hadn't grown up with. When you were the heir to a fortune the size of the one he was, you learned to be careful. Most people didn't like you for you, they liked you for your name or your money.

Once he chose to trust, he didn't let loose easily. He had been considering asking Julie to the dance since it had first been announced, but he was afraid to make things awkward between them, especially if she said no. He didn't know how he would react if he lost her friendship completely.

Bobby sipped at his coffee slowly, then coming to a decision, he put his cup down and held a hand out to Luke. "I know you're nervous, man. I am, too. But if you ask Reggie, I'll ask Julie."

Reggie and Willie were getting ready for the dance, crowded together in front of a single mirror in the bathroom so they could talk. Willie was pulling the top part of his hair back into a bun, leaving the bottom to hang free around his shoulders. Reggie was offering unsolicited advice about Willie's emerald robes, telling him he looked as though he belonged in Slytherin instead of Hufflepuff. Willie just smiled, softly saying, "Alex likes the way I look in emerald green."

Reggie looked him up and down, finally taking in his outfit, then whistled lowly. Willie had chosen dress robes that were non-gender conforming, with an off the shoulder top that was cut in a sharp V to his breastbone. They had buttons all the way down the front, but Willie had chosen to leave the buttons undone from his waist down, so you could see his blush colored pants, which he had chosen to match Alex's robes for the dance. "You're gonna knock him dead, Willie. The gay panic is gonna be absolutely epic!"

Willie's smile grew, long since used to Reggie's over dramatic tendencies. Godric have mercy on their group when Luke and Reggie finally got their act together. Their combined dramatic chaos would be enough to take out the entire school if that's what they set their minds to.

The reminder of Reggie and Luke made Willie turn thoughtful. "Hey, Reg? Can I ask you something?"

Reggie hummed softly, not turning from the mirror as he adjusted his cloak pin, trying to get his ruby red scarf positioned just right, so that he wouldn't trip over it. Once he was satisfied with that, he moved to trying to re-style his hair. Willie quietly took note that, despite Reggie trying to appear calm, he was unable to let his hands stay still for any length of time.

Willie carefully pulled Reggie's hands away from his hair, stepping between him and the mirror. "Reg," he murmured gently, "what's wrong? What happened to going to the dance with Luke?"

Reggie's eyes filled with shame, and he wouldn't meet Willie's gaze. "I ran, Wills. I heard about all the other people he had asked, and when he asked if we could talk, I chickened out and I ran. Now I'm going to the dance alone, I don't know who Luke's date is, and I'm never going to have a chance with him, am I?"

Willie sighed, dropping Reggie's hands and softly wrapping him in a hug. "Reg, I really think you just need to tell Luke how you feel. I would bet my relationship with Alex that he is just as into you as you are into him." Willie paused for a second, then in a lighter tone of voice added, "Well, almost bet my relationship with Alex."

Reggie smiled tearily, giving Willie a squeeze. Stepping back, he spun in a circle. "So, how do I look? Think Luke will like it?"

Reggie's black robes were relatively plain, with a high neck and long sleeves. The real showstopper of the outfit was the deep red silken scarf that was pinned to his shoulder with a large silver cloak pin. The red fabric fell off his shoulder and was tucked into his belt to drape down almost to the floor, making it flutter around him as he spun around gleefully. Willie imitated the whistle that Reggie had thrown his way earlier. "Bro, both our men are gonna be gay panicking! It's gonna be absolutely awesome!"

Reggie laughed in delight, then tucked his arm through Willie's and led him out of the bathroom, through the common room, and all the way across the castle to where the Ravenclaw tower was located. He dropped him off there with a quick kiss on his cheek and a promise to meet him in the Great Hall, then slipped away quietly before he could be caught by Luke.

He wasn't quite ready to face him.

Willie lingered in the hallway for a few minutes, until the time that he and Alex had agreed to meet. As he cast a Tempus charm to check the time, the door behind him opened, and Alex walked out of the tower.

Willie quickly banished the charm so he could give Alex his full attention. As his eyes caught on his date, he gulped. Had he and Reggie been joking about Alex having a gay panic? Willie was now positive that it would be himself having the panic as he took in Alex's outfit. It seemed like a robe in the most traditional sense of the word, made of a dark satin that Willie was pretty sure was black, but under the lights could have been navy, or purple, or just some other dark color. The pink that Willie had been intent on matching was in the trim, a mix of contrasting topstitching and sparkling gemstones that lined the lapels, and also in the sheer pastel button-up that could be seen underneath the half-opened robes. Willie wasn't usually one for following traditional clothing like black robes, but Alex really made it work. He cleared his throat before saying, "Wow, you look amazing."

Alex blushed, the pretty pink of his cheeks almost a perfect match for his shirt, and it made a lovely contrast to the night sky robe he wore. "You do too."

The boys stared at each other with barely contained awe for several long moments, not shaken from their revelry until a pair of disgruntled Ravenclaws nearly had to shove Alex to get him out of the doorway. Willie grinned goofily at Alex before sweeping into a dramatic bow, then offering his arm. "If you would be so kind as to accompany me sir," he said, his affected posh accent making Alex grin, "I believe we have a ball to attend."

Alex rested his hand in the crook of Willie's arm and the pair made their way down to the Great Hall.

Alex and Willie approached the doors to the Great Hall, where Bobby and Julie were waiting for them, both dressed to the nines. Bobby looked like the Wilson heir through and through, almost at the risk of looking stuffy. His robes were almost certainly a hand-me-down from a great-great-great-grandparent, double breasted and made of a wool so deep purple they looked black. An epaulet kept a heavy dark cape on one of his shoulders, the hem of it ending mid-calf where the rest of the robe also ended. At his side, Julie formed a perfect antithesis. Her gown–not even a robe, a gown–was a jewel purple chiffon, the sleeves and skirts billowing around her. The deep V-neck of the bodice gathered to a light sash at her waist before dropping into a floor-length slitted skirt. One side of her dark curls were half braided back with ribbon, sending most of it over one of her shoulders as she turned to look at them.

"Have either of you seen Luke or Reggie?" Julie asked in lieu of a greeting.

"Hi Julie. Why thank you, I do look wonderful and Willie is positively resplendent. You and Bobby look amazing as well. Now what was that about our idiots?"

Bobby flushed at Alex's implication but otherwise ignored it, opting instead to say, "Luke and Reggie. We haven't heard anything from either of them since this morning. It's just weird that we haven't heard from them."

"Do you know if they're still coming?" Julie asked.

Willie nodded, saying, "Reg and I got ready together, and he dropped me off at the Ravenclaw tower. He should have been here before us."

"Who should have been here before you?" The group turned as one to see Flynn approaching, Carrie's hand on her arm.

Julie gasped, taking in their outfits. Carrie, like her brother, was the epitome of Pureblood status in her delicate lace gown, the pink satin of her actual robes wrapping and crossing around her waist before pooling out behind her. Flynn, of course, was her opposite in every way. She had completely ditched the idea of robes and instead opted for a pair of navy slacks with a dark gauzy statement blouse tucked into them. The shirt's lantern sleeves were filled with white and blue embroidery, almost mimicking something like a particularly angry ocean.

"You two look gorgeous!" Julie exclaimed, giving Flynn a careful hug. She knew better than to leave wrinkles or mess up her hair. "We were just talking about Luke and Reggie. We haven't seen either of them yet, but Reggie headed down before Alex and Willie."

As the group was talking, trying to figure out if they should go looking, go into the dance, or wait where they were, Reggie walked up and joined the group quietly.

Willie was the first to notice him, and gave him a quick hug, whispering, "Are you okay, Reg?" while nobody else was listening.

Reggie nodded his head and quietly replied, "I just needed a few minutes to myself. I'm ready now."

Willie looked over Reggie's shoulder to see Luke approaching. Giving Reggie another gentle squeeze, he quietly said, "I hope you got all the time you needed, because Luke is about to knock your socks off."

Reggie's socks were, in fact, knocked. It was confusing really, because Luke looked good, he always looked good, and he looked like Luke, but somewhat fancier? Yet, it also wasn't fancy, because he had taken his old fancy robes and well, made them look like Luke. At one point they had been fancy. The outfit came in two parts: a belted tunic that probably had sleeves at one point but no longer did, and the robes themselves that appeared to have actually been designed sleeveless. The rich blue tunic was covered in heavy embroidery and colorful damask patches which seemed to be Luke's own additions. The dark trousers were a matching sapphire and tucked into platformed black boots to give him a little height (though he would never admit that that was why he liked them so much). And, even before Luke got close, Reggie could see a dark shiny shadow rimming his eyes, and a lighter shimmering color dusted over his cheekbones as well, just making him look absolutely ethereal.

Reggie tried to smile as Luke approached, but it was strained. Luke's eyes had locked on his as soon as he had turned away from Willie, and Reggie could feel his pulse start hammering and butterflies taking up residence in his stomach.

Approaching the group slowly, Luke smiled hesitantly. "Sorry I was late, guys. Took me a little longer than usual to get ready. Um, Reggie, can we talk?" Luke asked, uncharacteristically shy. Reggie took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He knew this moment was coming, and had been bracing for it all week. Reggie nodded and Luke grabbed his hand, pulling him to an unoccupied corner.

"So, there's something that I've been wanting to talk about with you for a while now. I, um… Well, you see, the thing is that I—" Luke was floundering, so nervous he couldn't finish a sentence. Reggie had seen Luke like this before, when he had a brief crush on Julie, and again when he had a crush on that Thomas guy in the year ahead of them.

Suddenly emboldened, Reggie grabbed Luke's face and kissed him soundly. Luke stiffened in surprise under Reggie's touch, but when he tried to pull away, Luke held him tighter, melting into the kiss.

"I said tell him how you feel, not snog him!" Willie's voice broke Reggie and Luke apart.

Luke grinned against Reggie's lips, "I've been wanting to do that for ages."

"Oh yeah?" Reggie asked, eyes sparkling as he pressed another kiss to Luke's lips.

"Ok, we're all very happy that you figured this out, but can you save the snogging for a more, uh, private venue?" Alex said as he twined his fingers through Willie's. "We'd really like to get to the dance at some point tonight."

Luke rolled his eyes. "You wanted us together. Well, this is us together. You had to know this is how it would turn out."

"He's right, 'Lex, you really should've known this is how he would react," Willie said, his tone full of sass but his lips curled into a smile.

Alex shook his head, grabbed Willie on one side and Luke on the other, and started pulling them through the doors and into the Great Hall. As each person lurched forward, they grabbed the hand of the person behind them, and shortly, they were all in the middle of the dance floor, jumping around and having a blast, just like friends should.

At one point, as Luke was dancing with Reggie, he glanced to the side of the dance floor and saw Bobby holding hands with Julie. Catching his eye, Luke smiled at him, and Bobby raised the hand holding Julie's to wave back.

And if, at some point about halfway through the dance, while the band was taking a break, the instruments suddenly started playing by themselves, and all the Muggle-borns in the school cheered and started dancing in sync, throwing their arms in the air in the shape of letters, well...Willie, Julie, and Flynn certainly wouldn't have had anything to do with what was happening. They smiled happily at the Purebloods of their friend group, then excitedly bounced to the dance floor, singing along with "YMCA." Reggie could be heard whispering, "What is a YMCA and why are they singing about it?" The Muggle-borns just laughed, then pulled him to the dance floor with them and started teaching him the moves.