Chapter 396

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It had been a few days since I told Astoria that she was cured of her Blood Malediction, and since that day the sweet and gentle girl started to seem more cheerful and energetic.

And this was something that everyone could notice, as many members of the study group asked her if something good had happened.

And Astoria, who was being questioned by almost everyone she knew, lied saying that nothing had happened, and that she was simply feeling happy these days.

And I asked her why she hadn't told the truth about being healed, at least to her sister, and she said she hadn't told anyone, not even her family because that would attract unwanted attention to me.

And knowing that she was keeping something so important a secret just for me made me feel happy.

But I knew that this secret couldn't be kept for long, even if Astoria tried.

And actually I didn't see a problem with people knowing that the reason Astoria was cured was because of me, since if something happened I could say that I was only able to help her thanks to Nick and Penny, which was true.

But that wasn't important for now.

The important thing was that now Astoria was living her student life the way she always wanted.

Now she could have fun playing with her friends without worrying about getting tired quickly or feeling pain.

She could eat whatever she wanted without worrying about whether the food was good for her health or not.

And she could also use magic at will without running out easily, and that was very good for her, as she was always an intelligent student.

She wasn't the best student in her year because she couldn't use much magic before the Blood Malediction affected her, but now that that was no longer a problem she began to excel in her classes.

And of course, to help her catch up with her classmates and even surpass them in class I started teaching her personally, and I was having a lot of fun doing it.

And I realized that Nick was right when he said that I was just like Penny with my passion for teaching.

'Well, I guess that was one of the reasons I created the study group' I thought with a small smile.

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-December 16th, Friday – Professor McGonagall's Office-

The morning classes were over, and since I had the afternoon off I decided to go meet my favorite teacher in her office for another one of our weekly meetings.

And now I was sitting im front of her eating a lemon cupcake, listening to her complain about how exhausting it is to take care of the first years this year.

'For some reason I have a suspicion that she complains about the first years every year' I thought, looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"But changing the subject," Professor McGonagall began to say, looking at me closely, "I believe you have heard about the Yule Ball and the champions' opening dance, right?" she asked me.

"Yes, Professor Flitwick told me about that yesterday at the end of his class," I replied, and she nodded.

"And are you ready for the ball yet?" she asked, taking a sip from her cup of tea.

"What do you mean?" I looked at her confused.

"Oh, I wanted to know if you've already bought your robes, if you know who you're going to invite as your date to the ball, and if you know how to dance" she explained.

"Well, I already have my robes. And no, I still don't know who I'm going to invite to the ball" I started to answer, and then I grimaced, "And about knowing how to dance... Let's just say that's something I still have to practice"

"Wait… You don't know how to dance?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Why do you seem so surprised by this?" I ask, somewhat offended.

"Well, it's just that you've always been good at almost everything I could think of, so I thought you were a good dancer too," she replied, and I rolled my eyes.

"No, I'm not a good dancer" I said, but then I stopped to think for a moment, "Well, maybe I know the basics of ballroom dancing, but not much more than a few moves."

"I see," she murmured with pursed lips, "But that's not enough. You're a champion and you're going to be the center of attention when you do the opening dance, so you need to know more than the basics."

"And I'm not going to let my favorite student be embarrassed in front of everyone, so I'm going to teach you how to dance myself" Professor McGonagall said, looking at me with a determined look.

"I see…" I nodded, "So I'm your favorite student"

And Professor McGonagall looked at me and noticed my smug smile, which made her eye twitch.

"Was that all you heard of everything I said?" she asked me.

"No, but that was the most important part for me" I shrugged.

And hearing this Professor McGonagall shook her head in exasperation.

'This boy...' she thought, before returning to the main topic.

"But well, as I was saying, you will have private lessons with me two or three times a week where I will teach you how to dance."

"Wait a minute, private lessons? Does that mean I won't learn alongside the other students?" I asked.

"Oh, so you know about the dance lessons I plan to give the other students?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Yes, I heard Cedric from Hufflepuff talking about that," I said.

"I understand" she nodded, "But no, you won't learn with the other students" she said, and I looked at her confused.

"But why?" I asked.

"Because you learning to dance is a priority since you're going to do the opening dance" she replied, and I couldn't deny that it was a good point.

"So Harry will also participate in these private lessons?" I asked, "He's also a champion, so he'll need to do the opening dance too."

"Well..." Professor McGonagall began to say, looking away, "Mr. Potter will not be participating in private lessons, as I think it would be better for him to learn alongside his colleagues."

And hearing this I looked at the feline teacher with a raised eyebrow, as if I was saying 'Really?'.

"Sigh... Look, I'm not trying to belittle Mr. Potter, but compared to him you're a quick learner, so private lessons would be more effective for you than for him" she said.

"And besides, I know that unlike him you wouldn't be uncomfortable with your Transfiguration teacher teaching you to dance" she smiled wryly.

And listening to her explanation and her reasons, I couldn't deny that she had good arguments.

Harry probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on learning to dance if the person teaching him was Professor McGonagall, who would have to act as his date.

"You're right" I said, and she nodded satisfied, "But then, when and where will our classes be?" I asked.

And Professor McGonagall then placed a finger on her chin as she thought, "Hmm, how about every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday night here in my office?" she asked me, and I thought for a moment before nodding.

"That's fine with me," I said.

"Good" Professor McGonagall looked at me satisfied, "In that case then your first class will be tomorrow after dinner, don't forget that"

"Okay," I agreed, and I could sense that Professor McGonagall was excited for these classes, something I found amusing.

And now that our dance classes had been decided the Head of Gryffindor decided to change the subject, and so she started talking to me about the ball and how stressful it was for her to organize it.

She also asked me how my preparation for the second task was going and if I needed a break from her transfiguration classes so I could prepare and train better.

And it warmed my heart to know that she, who was always strict and serious about school and classes, was allowing me to skip her classes so that I would have a better chance of surviving the second task.

We both continued to talk and enjoy the time we were spending together for a few more moments before we realized it was getting late.

And knowing that I would have a busy day tomorrow we decided to end our conversation for today, and after saying goodbye to my strict but caring teacher I left her office.

And walking through the school corridors towards the Ravenclaw Common Room I started thinking about the conversation I had with Professor McGonagall.

'I'm glad Professor McGonagall decided to help me... But actually if she hadn't offered to give me dancing lessons I would have asked Penny to teach me' I thought, knowing that my immortal grandmother wouldn't think twice before deciding to help me, mainly because dancing was one of the things she loved most.

'But well, now that the dancing issue has been resolved, I only have one problem to resolve before I can say that I am truly ready for the ball.'

'And the problem is... Who should I invite as my date to the ball?'

End.

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