My Time to Shine (Dance Moms/Harry Potter Crossover - Part 1)

Chapter 1: Goodbye Pittsburgh!

Abby Lee Dance Company, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
July 29, 2015

"Don't sickle that foot! This is the ALDC Junior Elite Competition Team and if you want to stay on it you will fix that foot the first time I ask you!!" A plus-sized woman with medium-length brown hair held back by a tacky sparkly black headband yells at six young dancers. She is wearing an ALDC t-shirt. She is none other than Abby Lee Miller. 

The dancers all avoid eye contact and one even starts to cry. 

"Save your tears for the pillow, Kendall!" She barks at the crying dancer, who tries unsuccessfully to stifle a sob. "You're done. We are ending here for today. Clearly, some of you can't handle the demands of being on this team. We are officially on hiatus from Dance Moms. I will see you in September in the United Kingdom to resume filming."

"And please do not forget to stretch and keep up your technique!" A smaller, brunette assistant teacher pipped in. "You have to be in peak shape when we resume." Abby's assistant Gianna was also a demanding coach. 

The girls - Maddie, Mackenzie, Kendall, Jojo, Nia, and Kalani, all exhausted from their day of dance training, nodded vigorously not wanting to let their instructors down. 

"See you in the UK!" Abby waved at the girls as she waddled out of the studio. 

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Pittsburgh International Airport, Pennsylvania USA
August 29, 2015

Two girls and their mother waited in line for security at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania International Airport. August was coming to a close and the back-to-school feeling was in the air. Summer was over and it was time to get back to work. The girls had two completely different looks on their faces. One, the taller and presumably older of the two, had an empty, almost saddened expression on her face, as though her favourite movie had come to an end and she may never see it again. The other one, younger but otherwise identical, was the complete opposite. She looked like she had never been this excited, she was almost buzzing with anticipation. The older of the two girls handed a cage to a TSA agent, although it was unclear as to what animal was contained inside. As they went through airport security, it was plain to see that they had travelled many times before. Their mother, a slightly blonder version of her two light brown-haired daughters, reached into her purse and pulled out a Nexus card. They were swiftly moved to priority and got through the metal detectors quickly. The family collected their carry-ons and began to make their way to their gate. They had their perfectly sized rolling suitcases, neck pillows, and even made a beeline to the closest water fountain, as they had brought their empty bottles to improve efficiency. Although it looked as though this could be one of the Ziegler girls' many international trips to attend a convention, performance, or class, it could not have been more different. The sisters were now flying to London England to further take the train to their new school.

"Mackenzie, stop it! I swear, we will go straight home!" The mother scolded the younger of her two daughters who had evidently been annoying her older sister.

"I'm just asking Maddie about the paintings, mom!" Mackenzie directed her gaze to her older sister. "Do they really move? Who's in them? Do you have to be dead to be in a moving painting?!" asked Mackenzie with a look of extreme wonder and excitement on her face.

"Geez, will you quit being annoying? Who cares?" Maddie was clearly becoming sick of her sister berating her with questions.

"Both of you stop it. Now! We're in public," said their mother, Melissa, exasperated.

The three of them continued their jaunt to the gate in silence. When they got there, they sat down and each pulled out a brand-spanking new iPhone 6S. Mackenzie, Maddie, and Melissa sat with their eyes glued to their phones. 

"I really don't like the fact that we aren't allowed to bring our phones to school," said Maddie while flicking through her Instagram.

"What do you mean?!" exclaimed Mackenzie, as if someone just told her that her puppy had died and this was news to her.

"Oh calm down, you two. It'll do you a bit of good to be unplugged. Plus you can focus on your studies." She also did not remove her gaze from her screen and was briskly answering her texts before the eight-hour flight to the UK.

"You're a bit of a hypocrite, don't you think?" the eldest daughter shot at her mother. 

"Ok, Maddie, I know you're not happy that you're leaving Pittsburgh again this year for school but this is the way it is now. Look at this fabulous opportunity you've been given and we don't have to pay a cent! I can't say when it comes to the past 10 years of training. I'm sorry you're disappointed but having Kenzie with you this year will make it way better, plus Abby is going to come out to teach you and take you to competitions all while shooting for the show. That's better than last year. It's like it used to be except instead of Pittsburgh, it's Scotland. I thought that made you happy?" coaxed her mother cautiously.

"It does. It's just... I miss it. That's all", said the elder of the two in a monotone voice.

"I know you do. You both do."