𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 || 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐.

Music began to play. It was awful, and Severus couldn't keep from rolling his eyes. He wasn't really surprised that Dumbledore was choosing to play Muggle Music...but if it had to be Muggle Music couldn't it be Bon Jovi?

"Come, come, Severus. You should be dancing!" Dumbledore called out, bouncing by with McGonagall on his arm. Snape rose stiffly from his chair and held one of Harry's little wrists in his hand and he proceeded to step back and forth.

"This is called dancing, Harry," Snape instructed. "It is a most strange form of past time, often associated with pain. Professor Snape chooses to avoid it the majority of the time,"

"'Nape!" Harry repeated with a grin.

"Well that's the most boring dancing I've ever seen," called out Madam Hooch. Snape wished she'd just mind her own business. Why was she watching him anyway? He turned his back and continued to dance in his slow, cautious manner. He got away with such dancing until the end of the song. Then Dumbledore came up.

"We've had a request for a switch of partners," he informed Snape.

"Oh have we?" Snape asked dryly.

Dumbledore nodded happily. It seemed caring for Harry was increasing Snape's popularity among the staff already.

"And who, pray tell, will dance with Harry?" Snape said coldly.

"Oh, don't worry about that, he'll be fine," Dumbledore said, reaching out and taking Harry. Harry stuck out his lip impudently and reached a hand toward Snape.

"I don't think this is a good idea, headmaster," Snape said.

"Oh pish. He just needs a minute to adjust. Go on, Severus."

Snape's lips compressed into a thin line, but he turned on his heel, his cloak swirling around him, and strode off to where Minerva was standing looking expectant.

"I hope you dance with a bit more vigor this dance," McGonagall told him. "Your dancing with Harry looked positively dull,"

This led Snape to wonder why on earth she'd requested to dance with him then. Instead of saying anything though, he just raised on eyebrow and held out one hand. McGonagall took it and they began to dance, Snape still just step touching stiffly.

"You could twirl me, Severus," Minerva suggested. "Or dip me."

"Heaven forbid," was Snape's reply.

"Honestly, Severus," she said quietly. "If Harry remains in your care for long, he is going to turn into a brute of a child,"

Snape was just about to retort when a hand clasped his shoulder. He turned his head and was met with the enormous eyes of Professor Trelawney.

"Why Severus," she said, sounding dazed. "We meet again,"

"Indeed," he said sarcastically.

Sybill began to dance in a crazed circle, bumping McGonagall out of the way in the process.

"Ah," she said. "It seems as though the fates have left us to dance together. We cannot deny destiny!"

She reached out and wrapped him in a gripping hug. "You have kept the stars unhappy long enough!" she whispered passionately.

"Well the stars are going to have to deal with it," Snape said brusquely, detangling himself from her grasp and stepping away. He looked over and saw Harry, who was being bounced and spun by Professor Dumbledore. While Harry was not crying, he looked upset. His cheeks were red, his eyes wild, and every now and then he would hit Dumbledore's shoulder defiantly and declare, "No!"