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

Chapter 9: The Howler

Ollie approached the Hufflepuff table with the regular owl post on Monday, after the competition. He had a scarlet red envelope tied to his leg and was looking as though he did not want to make the delivery. Mackenzie had not noticed him flying towards her. Kevin and Abbie, however, had.

"Kenzie... uh don't look now but I think you've got yourself a howler there." Abbie grimaced as she delivered the horrible news.

"I don't especially want to see how this plays out so I think I will take my toast to go..." Kevin zoomed from the table.

Alison had just entered the hall and taken Kevin's empty seat. She looked up just in time to see Ollie drop the bright red letter in Kenzie's pumpkin juice and fly away as rapidly as his agile wings would take him. "Uh oh. Looks like I arrived just in time for a show." She then shot an apologetic expression at Mackenzie who looked as though she may toss her cookies at the idea of what the howler contained. And then it happened. The letter sprang to life in the shape of Abby Lee Miller's pursed lips.

"MACKENZIE FRANCES ZIEGLER! WHERE DO YOU GET OFF THINKING YOU CAN SKIP A COMPETITION WITH THE ALDC?! I AM DISGUSTED BY YOUR BEHAVIOUR. DON'T YOU DARE SHOW YOUR PRESENCE IN MY DANCE STUDIO UNTIL YOU HAVE FOUND A PLACE TO PRACTISE AND HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF IN BACK IN SHAPE TO RESEMBLE THE DANCER I ONCE HAD ON MY JUNIOR ELITE COMPETITION TEAM? YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO MELISSA AND ME. YOU WILL NEVER BE LIKE MADDIE IF YOU KEEP THIS UP!"

Naturally, the entire Great Hall had fallen silent and all eyes were on Mackenzie whose eyes were welling up with tears again.

"I don't want to be like Maddie," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. She gathered her things and ran out of the hall, no longer hungry enough to finish her breakfast. She ran to her dormitory and crashed down on her bed while trying to contain panicked sobs. Surely her mother wasn't aware Miss Abby had sent the howler, did she want her to be this unhappy? But then again, how would Miss Abby have known what a howler was and how to get it to the castle? Unless Maddie was behind it, a thought Mackenzie couldn't think about right now. She was seriously cracking under the pressure. Sure, she had blown off the competition but her mom said she could and presumably told Abby. There were so many thoughts swirling in a tornado-like fashion right now. She couldn't keep the sobs at bay, after all, her pillow was right there. She didn't need to save her tears.

The next day in Herbology, Mackenzie had an idea. When their lesson was over she went up to talk to her teacher, professor Longbottom. He always seemed approachable and she thought she could ask him where she might practice her dancing. She had originally inquired with her head of house, Professor O'Kelly but she merely said that most people at Hogwarts do not need an open space in which to practice their dancing and would the Quidditch pitch do. Seeing as they were in that in-between temperature between fall and winter, Kenzie decided that no, it would not do.

"Professor Longbottom, could I ask you something?" Mackenzie approached him as he took off his dragon hide gloves and began wiping dirt from his pale face.

"Shoot." He replied.

"Ok, well I'm having a bit of a dilemma because I am supposed to be training and rehearsing for dance while studying here but I don't have anywhere to practice. I talked to Professor Okelly but she didn't seem too encouraging. I guess my question is, do you know of anywhere that would be suitable where I would be allowed to practice? It's really important that I do, especially to my mom and Miss Abby." She drew a deep breath after describing her plight, unsure as to whether or not anything positive would come from this.

She was pleasantly surprised, however, when her professor replied, "I do know of one place! Haven't seen it after the Battle of Hogwarts though, you know, the one that ended the Second Wizarding War?" she nodded vigourously. She had researched this in her hunger for information about the wizarding world.

"Er, sir? Were you involved in the battle?" She didn't want to get off topic but she became suddenly interested.

"Sure was. I was only a student, a seventh-year, when it took place. We lost many brave wizards and witches and the castle was left in ruins. It's obviously had some repair since though, as you can probably tell! Anyway, back on track. A place to dance? Yes, I know of one but we will have to see what kind of condition it's in." he looked at her to see if this was the kind of answer she was looking for. She was all ears, anything that may stop Abby from sending her howlers over breakfast was good enough for her. "It's called the Room of Requirement," he told her. "It's a room on the seventh floor that will transform for the user's needs. We used it for a secret club in which we learned and practiced defensive magic. I also used to live there when Voldemort's followers took over Hogwarts and used the Cruciatus Curse on the students as punishment."

Mackenzie stared wide-eyed at her professor. Surely she hadn't just heard him say that. They didn't really use unforgivable curses at Hogwarts? She had researched them on her own, being very fascinated by all things magical. "But... that's illegal! Why did you have a secret defense club? Who performed the curse? Why did you have to live there?" She realized she was stammering off topic again and quickly shut her mouth.

"It seems crazy doesn't it?" Professor Longbottom was wearing a sad look on his face. Of course, it was painful for him to recount the battle, Mackenzie felt bad for making him discuss it. "These were dark times at Hogwarts, and throughout the wizarding world, to tell the truth. Things were different. It wasn't the Hogwarts you know and love. There were Death Eaters patrolling the school, beating and cursing the students who they felt deserved discipline. The muggle-borns were shamed and picked on, not only by the students but by the Ministry of Magic itself. It got to a point where trials were being conducted and witches and wizards were being thrown into Azkaban Prison, accused of stealing wands from real wizards and witches just because they were muggle-born." He allowed time for her to let this information sink in. "You've also likely heard of Harry Potter?"

"Yes. We've actually studied him in History of Magic with Professor Binns! I also did some of my own research on him because I found his life to be very interesting" she told him.

"That doesn't surprise me one bit. You remind me in some mays of a very smart witch I used to go to school with".

"Wait a sec," comprehension dawned on Mackenzie's face. "James! James Potter is Harry Potter's son! How did I not see it before!"

"Yes. Yes, you're right." Professor Longbottom replied. Mackenzie wanted to run and go ask him a thousand questions. She thought about this for one moment and then decided that that was not something she was going to do. She knew what it was like to have your life viewed through a lens, for everyone to know who you were and what you said or did. She had been badgered by people who wanted so desperately to know every little thing about her and decided not to contribute to this boy's fame. Although she desperately wanted to ask him things about his father and Hogwarts and Voldemort, she flipped the situation around in her head and thought to herself, "If this was me, I wouldn't want people to know me for that." She resolved to treat James Potter like any other student at Hogwarts.

"Mackenzie?" He broke her trance.

"Yes. Sorry!"

"The Room of Requirement would be the perfect place for you to dance. If it still works, it could transform into the studio space you need, allowing you to keep up with your team. Do you want to go see what kind of shape the Room is in?" he offered. She nodded.