Participants:
Scene Title | One, Two, Three |
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Synopsis | Dancing lessons! One of many through the day. |
Location | Classroom 11 |
Date | December 07, 1994 |
Watch For | Mei enacting penguin shark-testing, Fred being a pimp, and Neville winning at life. |
Logger | Mickey-G |
Classroom Eleven, usually outfitted for storage, extra classes, and possibly detentions- is instead finding itself with a large, empty floor. The tiling has been cleaned and polished, and the tall windows of stained glass litter one side of the room with speckles of color from one end to another. On one end of the room is a wide-mouthed phonograph, sitting with its mouth towards the classroom. With the approach of the Yule Ball, there have been a few measures taken by staff to ensure that it will go off easily and without embarassing the students among themselves too badly. In this case, Professor McGonagall has been seeing classes throughout the day for a strange thing to see on a house bulletin board- Dancing Lessons.
Despite the many students having trouble wrapping their heads around the idea of McGonagall teaching dance, she has apparently been quite effective, according to the classes already having gone. She is waiting when the students for this one begin too file in. Of course, there are a few that seem nervous about all of this; some of them never had much luck in Transfiguration, and now she is teaching them to not have two left feet? A little bit odd, especially for the older years. But at least she seems to be doing them a favor in doing so.
Having never really learned to dance (thanks Dursleys!) Harry has decided to take the opportunity to learn. Well, that and represent his house. Can't let the other houses have all the fun. Besides, he's got a date to the Yule Ball and he's certain she's going to want to dance. Better learn now to avoid stepping on toes. Wearing the standard school uniform, he makes his way in to the extra classroom.
Wandering somewhat nervously into the room, Mei blinks a bit at the open area. Now it's funny, the girl can dance. In fact she can dance rather well, but perhaps seeking the company of others beyond her house, she opted to wander in here. Looking suddenly meek, she turns and bows to the professor, a soft "ni hao" offered in greeting before she quickly scuttles away to hide where she hopes not to be stared at, made fun of, or in general picked on. Her hair being down currently, it does a good job of shielding her blushing face.
With a bluster, George and Fred are amongst the first Gryffindors to arrive, grinning from ear-to-ear. How often do they get a chance to be /required/ to flirt with girls as they prance around? Well, count them in! Fred leads the way, George following closely behind Harry before edging towards the far wall to see who else arrives.
Bad at Transfigurations? Why, yes, that would be Alice who scurries on into the dance lesson looking around with wide eyes. But, hey, she doesn't know how to dance, either. At the very least it will be nice to see Macgonagall in an enviornment where the blonde is not entirely hopeless. At least, one would hope. Besides, it can only be fun, right? A feet-stomping adventure of awesomeness! She should've worn a pith helmet for the occasion.
Ginny is right behind Alice, and she grins as she spots her friend's blonde head. Lifting a hand in a wave to her fellow third-year, she gives her brothers a nod. Her cheeks pinken slightly when she spots Harry, but she smiles warmly. "Hullo, Professor," she greets her favourite teacher.
Seeming more than a little distracted, Siobhan ambles in after the Weasley twins. McGonagall is given a smile and a friendly "Hullo" before the student body is scanned for familiar faces. Oh look, there's Ginny! Headed for one of the few friendly faces - not many Slytherins in this class, it would seem - Sio's grin widens. "Wotcher, Gin?" Yes, she did steal that from Tonks. These things happen.
George and Fred settle near the far wall, leaning against it. George glances out the window while Fred checks out the prospects, Fred nudging his brother's elbow with his own as he nods slightly to a few girls around the room, taking note of them. "Aren't you asking Angelina, though?" George mumbles, to which Fred just shrugs. As Ginny arrives, George grins in her general direction.
Oh, hey! A fellow third-year! At least Alice is not going to be the single youngin' around a sea of upperclassmen. Alice's face immediately brightens into a wide grin and she waves an arm like a distressed stork in greeting to Ginny when she notices the other girl. She then traces the flush and the Weasley girl's gaze towards Harry and blinks incredulously. Harry Potter taking dancing lessons?! It seems so very odd that the Boy-Who-Lived (and who faced down very dangerous monsters later on) would need lessons on how to dance, so the blonde raises a hand to her mouth to stymie a string of coquettish giggling that threatens to spill out. When Sio is seen, the Slytherin girl is also given a distressed-stork wave. Hurray! Two people who Alice knows!
Mei just holds in the back, trying NOT to look at any one in particular. Still she can't help but look up at the twins, giving them an odd stare before shaking her head and then nodding at someone she recognizes nearby them. Still not looking like she's ready to move out of her nice little alcove just yet. It's nice and cozy back here, once you get past the spiders.
There are already a pair of eyes on Fred and George- which ones, you ask? Why, the pair in the back of McGonagall's head. A whole new meaning to 'four eyes', no? She greets all of them with a rather reserved smile, regardless of who she may be keeping a secret eye on. Motioning the lot of them to the side of the room with the phonograph, she only lifts her hand to beckon silence when it seems that the last stragglers get to the classroom.
"I am certain that many of you are excited for the Yule Ball, which will be upon us shortly." She is not entirely oblivious to the fact that many of them have also paired up to go. Speaking of pairs, she also begins silently counting them off. "As you know, the Yule Ball is a dance, and so I am also certain that not all of you are blessed with the ability to not trip over your own robes in the process of attending." McGonagall actually lifts her eyebrows as she looks the group over, eyes momentarily resting on Neville somewhere towards the back. "In order to present some order at the ball, you are all here for lessons in avoiding personal catastrophe." Though not all of them will take to it like ducks to water.
Harry's cheek go their own shade of pink when he notices Ginny's do the same. But..it's a manly pink. Pink can be manly, right? Either way, he finds a spot suitably out of the way. With luck, he'll be able to absorb the skill by osmosis rather than by example. As McGonagall starts to talk, he focuses his attention on the professor.
Ginny is about to greet Siobhan warmly when McGonagall begins to speak, so she settles for a finger-wave, mouthing a hello. A smile is given to Alice, and she hopes she gets partnered with someone she knows - preferably a female. It'd make things much less awkward. Ginny trains her eyes on the Professor as she begins to speak.
Mei looks about nervously and then sighs deeply. Time of doom pending, the girl steps forward, idly twirling her own hair as she moves away from the corner and closer to the rest of the group.
Siobhan settles next to Ginny and - offering a wave to Alice (gotta tell her about the delivery…) - turns her attention to their Professor. Leaning in towards the youngest Weasley, Siobhan whispers something she apparently finds funny, rolls her eyes and straightens up once again.
Rather than being uneasy about the impending lesson like many around her, Alice looks just as much her vivacious, excitable self, even bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet as she listens to Macgonagall speak. Alice has no fear when it comes to making a fool of herself; she does that quite often anyway, so it's second nature and just doesn't bother her. As long as they don't have to get on a broom, she'll be fine at least.
The twins just hang around the back some more, probably mulling it over in their heads which cute girl to ask. George looks more attentive to Professor McGonagall's speech, but both of them grin and have a good chuckle over the whole idea of so many students having to dance. They sidle up through the thin crowd, coming up from behind Ginny. George moves to give her a nudge and a short whisper through a grin, "Gonna dance with yo' man, Harry?" Fred is silent, suddenly eying Mei.
"In a few moments, I will be asking you to divide yourself into pairs. There is, however, an odd number of you, so who would like to volunteer to begin a demonstration for the rest of the group?" A demonstration? That means with the professor, right? Exactly. She seems to be giving them a chance, as well. She could have just picked someone out of the crowd, yes, but there are some times that natural awkwardness is just that interesting to watch.
Mei looks at the Prof for a second before looking to the rest. Now Mei is currently in "uber shy but cute" mode, and yet she purses her lips. Wrinkling her nose slightly she looks ready to step up and then hmms sizing up the twins. Reaching out as though to playfully touch George on the shoulder she suddenly gives him a HARD shove to propel him forward.
Harry isn't close enough to hear the twin's quip to Ginny, even though his ears are burning as if someone is talking about him. At mention of a volunteer, he's the first one to glance around. This can't be good. He's going to end up volunteered isn't he? Where's Ron when you need him? So of course, he tries to make himself diappear into the gathered students. Run Forrest! Run!
Alice looks left. Alice looks right. Hmm. Doesn't look like anyone is going to volunteer. The blonde third-year's hand shoots up, "I'll go ahead and volunteer, Profess—" But then George stumbles forward and her hand goes down, "Oh. Nevermind."
Being tall, shoving George forward isn't that hard of a feat and he stumbles forward, probably bumping into Ginny on his way out. "OI!" George spins, looking to deck someone for pushing him, expecting to see Ron - but nope, it's Mei. Fred laughs at his brother's plight, sidling up besides the girl who shoved George forward. Heyyyy. How /you/ doin. George just turns to Professor McGonagall, pouting, but he shrugs and steps up.
"Oof!" Ginny glances over her shoulder to see who'd bumped her, making a face at George. She's saved having to answer him, luckily. Then she peers around, unsure of who to partner with. Siobhan's whisper makes the decision for her - she edges over to the seventh-year with an apologetic smile to Alice. Murmuring something in response to Siobhan, she watches as people pair up.
Mei just giggles cutely at Fred, being somewhat shy about it, though her blush fades. Looking right back at George she gives him a "dare you" look before just twirling her hair and playing innocent.
Nature at its finest hour. Sacrifice the weak. Professor McGonagall has no trouble in seeing the hints at a stumble, though frankly- whoever pushed him goes unnoticed in favor of actually setting her attention on this half of the Weasley twins. "Thank you, mister Weasley." You've spared mister Longbottom a horrible afternoon!
Taking her wand from her robes, Minerva motions out towards the phonograph, and the antique shifts into motion on its own- the arm adjusts, the needle pings down, and the record starts. It is a common sounding waltz, and loud enough to actually create something to dance to.
"If you'll join me?" The professor offers her hand after tucking away her wand, but the gesture is more of a demand than a question. He volunteered, remember!
Watching her younger friend edge closer, Siobhan can't help but grin wider. When Mei shoves a twin - she thinks it's George, but it's always so hard to tell when you don't spend much time together - the Slytherin leans away, drawing Ginny with her; just in case. Turning to watch poor George - or is it Fred - being led to his doom, Sio leans in to reply, still in hushed whispers.
George is already on the dance floor, so he might as well. Fred takes advantage of his brother's absence, leaning one arm on Mei's closest shoulder. He likes this girl, she shoved George, teehee. George approaches the Transfigurations professor, shoulders hunched. Um. Okay. He's here. Now what? Please don't make him put his arms around her…
Mei turns, leaning close to Fred's ear. Now she doesn't blow in it but those nearby might catch her ask softly "How long you think before he steps on her foot?" She doesn't really await an answer, just stands there with her arms crossed and watches the…fun.
There's just no way Harry can stifle a snicker at George being 'volunteered'. He knows them too well to know he would do such a thing. Still, it's funny and he must tell Ron afterwards. And at least they haven't been paired up yet, so he's been spared embarrassment so far.
George had best get his act together, because once Professor McGonagall has his hand clasped in her own, she holds that pair of hands to the side, putting her left hand on the student's shoulder. Thankfully, she is rather tall to begin with, so the difference between heights is not as bad. "Place your right hand on my waist." If that was not evidently a to-do already. And as it so happens, this whole lesson seems to be one of the few things that is actually capable of putting an unmistakable smile on the professor's features, even if small.
George makes the most mopey face possible, wrinkling to Mei and Fred over Professor McGonagall's shoulder, but doing as she asks with only a little hesitation.
Well, hey, this is pretty interesting! Alice peers at George and the Professor as they… stiffly stand there. George looks like he'd rather be cleaning some of Snape's unmentionables. Still, Macgonagall looks like she's enjoying herself, so Alice just watches curiously, taking mental notes on the hand positions. Important in wand-work and dancing it seems!
Mei hmms softly, watching McG and the boy she shoved, and not paying any attention to the fact that his twin is now leaning upon her. Pursing her lips Mei hmms softly. "Not just about wand work…"
Despite attempted seriousness, there is a short whistle from somewhere along the wall. The professor ignores that, however, in favor of finding a pause in the waltz until she leads a simple dance- the footwork is easy enough that a baboon could learn how to do it. "One, two, three… one, two, three…" See? A three step waltz. Basic.
And with another pause, McGonagall tacks off a couple of short orders. "On your feet- everybody pair together and follow." Better have been watching!
"This oughta be good…" So muttering, Siobhan stands and brushes off her requisite school robes, stretching her arms over her head before peering around for a dance partner that won't be too disappointi—aha! "Fred," she grins playfully, extending a hand. "Do me the honor, mate?"
Mei laughs softly and then hmms at Fred. Grinning the girl reaches to take the hand on her shoulder and guide it to her waist while reaching to take his other hand. Winking at him playfully, she steps back and begins to dance slowly. Her footwork being quite well, hinting at some dance training. "Try to watch my eyes…" she adds, either chastising the boy or helping him along.
Harry watches the professor and victi…err…volunteer dance. Ok, so that's a simple waltz. Easy to memorize, and seems fairly easy to do. He should be able to pull that off without a hitch. Taking a brief glance away from the instruction, he looks in Ginny's direction, hoping for a sign she's getting all this too.
Ginny walks over to Alice, extending a hand. "Want to be my partner?" She asks the fellow third-year with a grin. /This/ should be interesting, yes? She looks rather receptive to McGonagall's instructions, her feet moving in the one-two-three pattern.
Eyebrows arch as Ginny approaches Alice, the latter girl breaking into a wide grin. The blonde third-year bows with a flourish, bringing one arm in to her chest while taking Ginny's offered hand with the other. "I'd be honored, Miss Weasley." She hesitates briefly, looking over her shoulder shrewdly at the Professor and George, "Um… which… which one of us should be the guy?"
Fred would never /think/ about looking lower. Or would he? Either way, he pretends to be the perfect gentleman as Mei leads him out, though his footwork is nowhere near as trained. George is dancing with McGonagall, trying not to look her directly in the eyes. Instead, his eyes look around her head, watching pairs form around them. "You get a lot of enjoyment out of torturing us poor students, Professor," he dares to say, looking at her briefly.
Fred at least takes a moment to look apologetic towards Siobhan, who extended a hand. He's in popular demand, it seems, but Mei seems to have walked off with him. Woops! He grins to the 7th year Slytherin. "You save a dance for me, hear?"
Mei sighs playfully, shaking her head. "If you're going to ask me out, you best do so quickly, and expect to practice." Being rather forward, the fifth year giggles somewhat and then nods. Stealing a glance down at her feet the girl sighs. "Left foot first, then right. Keep you from tripping and pulling me down with you." Without even looking in his eyes she adds "Don't look at me that way…and then all "ninja like" adds as she passes George (though she doesn't look back) you either."
DENIED. "Yeah mate, will do!" Sio calls back to Fred, shooting him an easy grin. Not one to be left behind, she searches for another free student and finds…Potter. How delightfully awkward. Still, there's a little Lion in her yet; proven when she strides right up to the younger male and bows, grinning like a loon. "Mister Potter?" she greets with mock formality. "Will you dance with my poor scorned self?" Oh my, that grin is just a little wicked. Poor Harry!
That's right, Harry, circle the edge of the room. Circle the edge and you might avoid detection. Everything will work out fi…SNAP! Spotted! As Siobhan approaches, he glances around. Isn't there anyone else? Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? "Uh…I don't know if I'm ready yet. I might step on your toes or something."
Ginny looks rather nonplussed at Alice's question, having not considered this. "Um. How about you? You're a little taller, and.." Ginny runs out of reasons, resorting to humour. "Just don't grope my bum." Nodding firmly, she takes one of Alice's hands, placing the other on the girl's shoulder.
Day-um, Mei moves fast, doesn't she? Fred is actually taken off-guard by her forwardness, eyes suddenly shifting around - perhaps he wasn't ready to commit to a particular lady quite yet. The Yule Ball is still a ways away! He's at a loss for words as Mei directs his feet, careful to look at her /feet/. My, this is a demanding girl. What has he gotten himself into? There is a pleading look towards George, but there's no help there, as George pleadingly looks at Fred as he dances with Professor McGonagall.
"Don't worry, mate. I know what I'm doin'." And she does. One of the perks to being raised in High Society; you learn How To Dance. Several different ways. Just not that way. Wriggling her fingers impatiently, Siobhan tries not to grin too widely - this particular Gryffindor seems particularly skittish. "C'mon, just follow my lead." And then a flash of brilliance. "If you can dodge a Bludger, you can waltz. S'all about rhythm."
Though tradition begs to be defied, it actually comes as a mild surprise that some of the girls are dancing with girls, and the boys- well, for some reason Neville seems to be the best damn dancer out of the room.
"I do, sometimes." Comes the curt reply from McGonagall to George- and mark it down, she has not yet actually used his first name yet. Twins, eh? "But at least I do not have to teach you all and intend a lesson or two to impress Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, hm? Be thankful this is among yourselves. You are rather good at this already, how about putting your skills to use and helping some of those less fortunate?" Teacher's aide! And as she finishes that, the professor pauses again to actually disengage herself from George and help instruct a pair of third years. No time to lose, Georgie.
Skittish. Yes. Absolutely. Harry makes one last futile attempt to locate another partner. Curse Ron for not being here! Accepting his fate, the boy nods. "I suppose it can't be too hard." he says, offering out his hand.
Mei dances quite well with Fred and then pauses. Blinking she reaches down to guide his hand back up off her hip and back to her waist. Winking she leans in and whispers something to the boy before standing back and then grinning. "Go on. do it."
"Don't worry, your honor is safe with me!" Alice says with a lopsided grin to her dance partner, mimicing as best she can George's hand placements. There are a few jittery false starts before the blonde settles into a rythm. "Hey, this isn't so difficult!" she chirps happily casting a look over to Macgonagall. See, Professor? Alice might be rubbish at Transfiguration, but she can dance some steps, it seems!
Or maybe she monologued too soon, because soon after, Alice's foot catches on her robes and the blonde third-year looses her balance. Letting out a yelp of surprise, she grabs onto the closest thing she can to keep herself steady — and that, of course, happens to be Ginny. Unfortunately, it doesn't help and the pair crash to the floor with a thump in a mass of tangled limbs. Wincing, Alice tries to extract herself, "Ugh! S-sorry, Ginny! Sorry! Um… I… I think your wand is poking into my leg…"
"Do I smell or somethin'?" Sio snaps out before she can controll herself. She mutters out a "Sorry" and then inhales deeply and slowly. Accepting the offered hand, Siobhan places her other on his shoulder, trying to smother her irritation; it shouldn't surprise her still, it really shouldn't. Some of that irritation flickers across her face, but she concentrates on the beat of the music and slowly it flows away. "Just follow my lead until you get the hang of it, yeah? Then you can try." And Siobhan's boast was not empty; she manages to hold the beat and dance a technically flawless waltz. It's plain to see she isn't enjoying it, though. Her back is straight and her shoulders tense, chin lifted and movements gracefully mechanical. It's as if she takes no joy at all from the experience, merely considering it a task to be completed.
There is some extreme relief as McGonagall finishes with George and he can't get away from his Transfiguration professor quickly enough. He's suddenly in the middle of the floor without a partner. Now this is a predicament! Fred, on the other hand, is having another predicament all together; as Mei slides his hand back to her waist and leans in, he actually grins. It's hard to make this boy blush, that's for sure. Suddenly, making quick sure there's some room around them, Fred dips Mei and leans in close - a little /too/ close, grinning like a fool. If anyone is watching, George's eyes are about to roll right out of his dang head, they're rolling so hard.
Mei is dipped, grinning as she stands back up. Taking just a moment to toss her hair back over her shoulder, Mei giggles and says something appreciative before starting to step away. Still holding one hand she lets Fred "twirl" her in a somewhat more formal and yet upbeat manner of a waltz before moving back in to dance with him, whispering softly to him the whole time. Apparently encouraging him on.
"Uh…." Harry starts, clearly out of his element at the moment. "No…no…not at all. Just a little nervous is all." he finishes, matching her movements across the floor. Out of the corner of his eye he catches the Ginny/Alice pileup and can't help but wince slightly.
That pileup is noted and given a wide berth. No need for another trip to the Hospital Wing, especially so soon after the last one. Careful to modulate her steps for the shorter Harry, Siobhan continues to lead for a little while longer before glancing down and offering an encouraging smile. "Wanna try your hand at leadin', Harry?"
"Oof!" Ginny says for the second time, as she and Alice go down in a tumble of teenage limbs. She squeaks - there's no other word for it - and squinches her eyes shut for a moment, then slowly opens them. "It's okay, Alice." Nothing seems to be broken or even dented, though her bum aches a bit. "Oh, sorry," Ginny says, moving her wand into a different pocket. "Are.. are you okay?"
All things considered, it's not the worst that could've happened. Still, it's a fairly embarassing thing to have happen. At least it wasn't at the real dance. Of course, after word gets out about double-left-foot Alice, maybe she won't have anything to worry about — no one will chance it. The blonde manages does a quick mental check and grins sheepishly, her face bright scarlet, "Um, y-yeah. I'm fine." She skitters away and scrambles to her feet, brushing off her robes with one hand and offering the other to Ginny to hoist herself up, "Sorry about that… I g-guess things were going a little too well."
Harry gulps. "I suppose." he says, not entirely sure he's ready to lead. But, hey, the Ball is coming up fast and he's got to tough it out and learn this stuff. Switching up, he begins to lead Siobhan while making sure his own feet steer clear of hers.
"There you go!" Siobhan seems genuinely delighted by the fact that he hasn't left them in an Alice-esque pile. Yet. "Not bad at all, mate. 'Specially not for your first try."
Ginny continues to waltz with Alice, grinning as the blonde dipped her slightly. She begins to grow more confident of her dancing abilities as the steps become more and more familiar. When she feels confident enough, she sneaks a peek at Siobhan and her crush.
"Thanks." Harry answers, lightening up a bit and offering a slight smile. Ok, so this isn't bad after all. "You're not so bad yourself." As he says that, he happens to glance towards Ginny and catches her glance in his direction. That's when….coordination does an EPIC FAIL! Somehow, his feet get crossed and … "Waaaaa" he exclaims, has he falls backwards towards the floor. That's gonna hurt in the morning.
Ginny looks rather concerned for Harry, disentangling from Alice and rushing to where Harry lay. "Are you okay?" She asks, fluttering nervously. Ginny is unsure of whether to kneel, stand, or.. she can't think of a third option, but she's sure there is one.
Unfortunately for Sio, she was sort of attached to Harry when his coordination circuits gave out. The girl's a good dancer, but she's not that good; she has no way to react except to shove her hands out to try and brace herself. It helps, but the seventh-year still ends up sprawled on top of Harry, hissing as her elbow hits the floor. "Ugh…Merlin's saggy green balls… I knew I shouldn'ta jinxed it!"
AHHHH! Girl on top of him! ACK ACK!! Harry sees it coming but is slow in getting out of the way. At least Sio didn't hit the bare floor. He's quick to scramble out of the way though, as he sees Ginny approach. Between her, and Sio landing practically on him, his face is now quite red. "Yeah….yeah…" he nods, starting to push himself to his feet. "I'm ok. Sorry about that." he adds, offering a hand out to the Slytherin to help her up if she needs it.
Ginny's eyes widen a bit as Siobhan goes tumbling after. (Rather the same as Jill, really.) The other students still gathered begin to murmur amongst themselves. It seems that this is a rather left-footed crowd of dancers.
Accepting that hand up, Sio grins and waves off the apology. "Nah, don't worry. Floor can't hurt worse 'n those Bludgers." A sentiment she figures he can understand. "You were doin' really well though, right up until you lost your focus." Eyes straying to the oddly concerned Weasley girl, Siobhan smiles to herself and steps back. "But I think I've done enough damage for the day. Why don't you two practice for a bit?"
Oh, so now there's murmurs in the crowd. Harry expects the rumors to be floating around by morning. "Hopefully I won't do that when it counts." he retorts, and then blushing brighter at Sio's suggestion. "Umm…I…er…well….only if you want to…Ginny."
"Um." Ginny flushes, giving Siobhan a look that was half thankful, half vengeful. She scuffs her foot against the polished floor. "Um." Trying for words, she manages, "Sure."
With a completely innocent smile, Siobhan ignores that look and saunters off towards the door. "I'll see you on Saturday, Miss Weasley. Have fun!" And then she's gone, ambling down the hallway outside and looking positively wicked.