Chapter 221

At last, the festive dinner came to an end. Dumbledore rose from his seat, and his example was followed by everyone in the hall. The Headmaster waved his wand once, and the vacated tables and chairs neatly moved to the walls, leaving a large empty space in the center of the hall. With another wave, by the other wall, closer to the judges' table, a small stage was created, along with various instruments - drums, guitars, lute, cello, and bagpipes. About ten students in black tuxedos took the stage with their violins and took seats in the back, shaded part of it, while the members of the "The Weird Sisters," known in the wizarding community of England, emerged as the main cast. The image of these musicians was quite entertaining, a sort of "Rock in a wizarding world." Long, disheveled hair, robes deliberately torn in various places, and leather suits in a fantasy format.

The musicians took their instruments, and we, in turn, rose from the table almost in sync - Potter missed everything again. What's he looking at? Oh, at Cedric and Cho? Well, to hell with him. The lanterns on the tables went out, and the room's general lighting became a little darker but still contrasting, clear, and omnidirectional, and the frost-covered walls glittered mysteriously.

We stepped out slowly and smoothly, leading our partner by the hand. There was plenty of room, so even Potter and Patil would feel more than free in the inner circle. The first opening notes began to play, letting me understand the rhythm and get into position, and with the first beat, I led Hermione in the dance, taking a step forward. Second quarter, reversal, third quarter, and now I have my back to the movement of the dance. The second beat and everything is somewhat repeated, and here we have already made one "turn," so to speak. Hand in hand, the other on the partner's back, eye to eye. It would have been romantic if it was just us dancing, but instead, we had to pay attention to the movement of the other two couples and adjust the length of our stride, so we didn't get too close or break our distance.

"Are you nervous?" asked Hermione, when we had all picked up the optimal steps to move evenly in a circle."

"Not a bit," I smiled softly in response. "Trying not to look at Potter."

"Yes, it's a surprisingly deplorable situation, but notice - he's a quick learner."

"And he does anything but does not pay attention to Parvati."

"That's unfortunate," Hermione nodded.

The music played, and the dance went on.

"If not for practice, I would definitely feel dizzy," Hermione, still smiling, looked me in the eyes.

"That is, even so, I have no chance to turn your head?"

"Don't twist it."

Gradually the rhythm became slower, and the melody changed a bit, and we moved on to the classic, no frills, slow waltz. Of course, this dance can be diversified by many different elements, but thanks the Old Man, the organizers took into account that we are not professional dancers. Although the Tournament Waltz is noticeably more complicated, it is also logical and understandable. What certainly pleased me was the absolute absence of any awkwardness in our movements. It seems that years of acquaintance and thousands of hours of joint training had an effect - only a log can not learn to feel each other in such conditions.

As time passed, other couples appeared among the dancers, and we had to give up moving in circles, circling practically on the spot. Dumbledore asked a happy McGonagall to dance, and they were not the only teachers who decided to join in.

After a while, all the available space for the dance was filled with couples, but there was plenty of room to maneuver. The organizers felt it was time to move on to the third obligatory dance. Tournament Waltz was a little more complicated - here the changes of hands, and changing of rotations, a jump of the partner with the emphasis on the shoulders of the partner, who had to "move" the girl by one hundred and eighty degrees from him - a sort of turn around.

After the obligatory dance, some people went to the tables for drinks or snacks. Hermione and I approached a table where the twins were clearly engaged in some sort of subversive activity, with Alicia and Angelina standing guard in blue and turquoise dresses.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked the twins.

"We add alcohol to drinks, of course." the right twin looked around while the left twin stealthily directed small balls of Firewhisky floating through the air to the glasses, of which there were many.

The other twin quickly finished his activity, glancing at us.

"Would you like one?" he played with his eyebrows.

"Oh, no, I pass," Hermione shook her head negatively.

"Me also. I would rather see what happens when they get tipsy."

"Oh! Looks like we have the same goals," the twins smiled.

It was at this point that their girls approached.

"The professors are looking around the hall. Let's move on," Angelina almost whispered and looked at us."You look great. I am even a little jealous."

The hooligan team headed for the next table.

"So, how do we find glasses without alcohol now?" Hermione looked curiously at the glasses on the other tables.

"Well, they move clockwise. Let's go to the other side of the hall. Maybe they haven't been there yet."

On the other side of the hall, we walked over to the table of Seamus, Lavender, and Dean.

"The party is canceled," the mulatto immediately informed us.

"Why?"

"Our stash was found. And the room. And everything else. Damn."

"Well, maybe it's for the best."