Potter and Evans

Dance Practice

Just as McGonagall had instructed, the Gryffindors all arrived in the Great Hall at 11am for their ball room dance lessons. Even the Marauders managed to be on time (but only because Lily had been badgering them for the last few days to not be late because it was important.  James had then proceeded to state in private to the other three that if it was important to Lily, it was important to him, therefore important to all of them - 'Sirius why are you smiling at me like that? I told you, I don't fancy her anymore').

The four house tables and the teacher table had been completely removed from the room so that there was a large amount of floor space to move around in. Seeing the Great Hall look so bare was like looking at one of those furless cats - it just felt wrong. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall waited at the front where the teachers seats normally were.

All of the Gryffinodrs gathered to the sides of the room upon entering, all chattering away and nervous about who their dance partners would be.

'Do you think they're secretly dating?' Marlene whispered to Lily, who was standing next to her.

'10 gallons Dumbledore's gay.' Sirius whispered back from behind them, having been listening.

'You're on, Sirius. Might as well pay up now.'

'Silence.' McGonagall demanded. Immediately, the chatter died away.

'No, that's ridiculous, Black. Definitely not.' Lily joined, ignoring McGonagall.

'No, Pads is definitely right.' Remus argued.

'I agree with Marlene and Lily.' Peter squeaked.

'Ha!' Marlene revolted to Sirius and Remus.

'I'm with Sirius.' James decided.

'Ha! Three against three.' Sirius said happily. 'Hey! Chapmen!' A fifth year boy turned to Sirius, 'What do you think, is Dumbledore gay or nah?'

Before the boy could answer, Dumbledore cleared his throat in their direction.

'Sorry, Sir,' Sirius said loudly, 'but we were just discussing if you-'

'As Professor McGonagall was saying,' Dumbledore interrupted, turning away from Sirius - but not before he could've sworn Dumbledore winked at him, 'you will pick a partner - anyone you like - and when you hear this,' he gestured to McGonagall, who waved her wand silently and made a loud bang and shot purple sparks up, which rained down on all of them, 'you will choose another partner.'

'Now,' McGonagall took over, 'ladies, you will place one hand on your partners shoulder, and gentlemen, you will place a hand on your partners waist, like so.' She said, demonstrating with Dumbledore.

Several people wolf whistled including James and Sirius, which in turn earned a kick from Lily and Marlene.

Once McGonagall and Dumbledore had finished demonstrating the dance, everyone found a partner.

'So, James,' Marlene rounded on him after  immediately grabbing his arm and pulling him off to the side, 'who's this lucky girl I've heard about that you're taking to the ball?'

Marlene had been out of the hospital wing for just over a week now, and it was if nothing had happened. Though she hadn't said anything to anyone, she was worried about what had happened. No one had been able to come up with a plausible explanation to why she had fainted.

This aside, Lily, Alice, and Mary had filled in her in on the week she missed. 'That's good then, isn't it, Lils? Gets him off your back for now.' She had said once it was revealed that James had a date for the ball (she decided to keep her encouragement of asking someone other than Lily a secret). Lily had made a humming sound in response, which made Marlene cast her a curious glance, before Alice changed the subject to Frank Longbottom - the boy she had been crushing on who had asked her to the ball.