Just want to dance the night away... WEEKLY CHALLENGE! ~RESULTS~

[Russia Snow]

For some reason, I can't get the Yule Ball out of my head...

But, seeing as it is not Christmas at the moment, your challenge this week is to write a drabble revolving around a Summer Ball held at Hogwarts during Harry's time there. So, you can write about any trio-era characters (This is NOT restricted to just the trio) and anything at all can happen in your drabble as long as it is set DURING the ball.

And that's basically all you have to do...

EDIT: Oops! I forgot the word count! 500 words or less =)

Form for your drabble:

[B]Name:[/B] 
[B]House:[/B] 
[B]Title:[/B] 
[B]Word Count:[/B] 
[B]Ratings/Warnings:[/B] 
[B]Characters Used:[/B] 
[B]A/N:[/B] 

Points:

15 points for first place, 10 for second, and 5 for third (depending on how many entries we get, and the quality of said drabbles)

There will also be 5 points for participation (providing you follow the rules!)

~Madam Russia xxxxx

[J Raven]

Name: J Raven
House: Ravenclaw
Title: The Teacher's Ball
Word Count: 100 exactly
Ratings/Warnings: None - I'm trying to be good
Characters Used: Minerva McGonagall, Pomona Sprout, Fred and George Weasley, Colin Creevey, Rubeus Hagrid, random pyromaniac Slytherins
A/N:This is me feeling really sorry for our Dean who has to plan our ball this year. We just got the date! -runs off to buy a dress-

Sitting in one of her prefectly transfigured chairs, Minerva counldn't help but cringe at the sight of all her hard work being demolished. The dancers were leaving scuff marks on the mirror polished floor and Hagrid was apologising for knocking over his sixth floral display. Creevey was moving all the chairs arounds and half the fairies were flying off in disgust. The Slytherin third years were seeing if they could set their table on fire with a candle and the Weasley Twins had just mananged to spike the punch.
She turned to Pomona and said, "I'm not cleaning this up."

[MadEyeMaddy]

Name: MadEyeMaddy
House: Gryffindor
Title: No-show
Word Count: 274
Ratings/Warnings: Nada
Characters Used: Draco, Astoria and a hint of Lucius
A/N: I wrote Draco? Wow

Draco was embarrassed. Honestly, it was one thing to be stood up, but to be stood up by a fourth year girl he had been forced to invite? This was just humiliating. He would definitely be writing to his father about this.

Lucius had written him earlier this year after Easter, stating they had a pleasant holiday tea with the Greengrasses...

Seeing as their oldest daughter is currently dating, both of our families would consider it an honor to have you attend this summer's ball with their youngest, Astoria...

Draco had sneered when he saw this. Sure, she was a pureblood. Sure, she was a tall, blonde Slytherin. But he knew what she was like. She had always been the sarcastic, slightly wild younger sister of Daphne. Not his type.

"Astoria," he had said, nodding in her direction. "Father would consider it an honor if I could escort you to the ball."

She said nothing, but raised her eyebrows at him as her friends giggled. "Your father?" she asked cynically.

"Yes," replied Draco somewhat firmly, but he still fiddled with his shirt collar self-consciously.

"Tell your father I'll meet him next Saturday then," she said, stifling a laugh and smirking.

Draco stood with his mouth open as she walked away.

The next day after he managed to get her alone and fix his mistake by asking her for himself, she told him she'd be there.

Too bad she wasn't. Now Draco was sitting alone with Crabbe and Goyle in the corner while girls giggled and pointed.

No one stands up Draco Malfoy. No matter how attrac- no, no - sarcastic she was.

[A.H.]

Name: Ari
House: Gryffindor!
Title: Madness
Word Count: 493
Ratings/Warnings: 1st Years, none
Characters Used: Trio + Neville
A/N: So, so long since I wrote HP fanfic.... Or any fic for that matter.

~~~~~

This is maddening, thought Hermione, her fingers twitching along her arm as she surveyed the Great Hall. All around the students twirled and danced somewhat in tune with the music emanating throughout the room. The level of noise was such that she doubted it'd be quiet even in the common room.

Maddening, she thought, repeating the word several times over until she was almost singing it in rhythm with the music. Next to her sat Neville, who was too preoccupied with a bit of string hanging from his cuff to see another third-year girl standing four feet away, eying him longingly. Of course, thought Hermione, the poor boy was so self-conscious that he probably never noticed the girls who payed him attention.

“Hermione,” he shouted, leaning in. “Can you – would you mind?” He motioned to the string.

She nodded and retrieved her wand, flicking his hand away. “Oculus Reparo,” she muttered, and the threads began to reweave themselves. “Isn't that Fortuna over there?” She nodded toward the girl who'd been staring. Neville flushed and began picking at his cuff again, earning him another flick from Hermione.

Before he could mumble out the evasive response Hermione could see sitting on the edge of his lips, they were ambushed by two very bulky, very grinning boys. Ron had bits of pudding stuck on his upper lip.

“Are the two of you satisfied?” Hermione asked reproachfully. Maddening!

Neville looked between the three of them cautiously.

Harry grinned. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“Do you know -”

“Yes,” they answered in unison. Ron shoved Neville none too gently so as to fall in to the bench beside Hermione, and Harry took post on her other side. A treacle tart appeared from beneath Harry's dress robes and was shoved in to Hermione's hand. “Go on,” he said, retrieving one for himself.

Hermione ignored the offer. “You could have been caught.”

“But we weren't.” This from Ron.

“What was wrong with the treats you didn't have to steal?”

“Ah,” Ron said, throwing a proud look at Harry. “Wasn't the sweets we wanted.”

Hermione frowned even further. Neville's attention was now split between furtively staring at Fortuna, who still hadn't moved from the table nearest them, and Ron.

Harry produced a chocolate from his robes and nodded to the other end of the hall. Hermione followed his gaze and found Malfoy and his cronies at a large table near the back of the room, scarfing down a plate of what looked like pumpkin pasties.

“Watch,” Ron said, laughter in his voice.

“Didn't take much to convince the House Elves....”

“All that trouble for a prank?” Hermione asked, shaking her head disapprovingly and trying hard to keep the smile off her lips. She positively disproved of their tomfoolery. Absolutely disproved.

She took a bite of the tart and waited for the fruits of their madness.

[welshdevondragon]

Name:*Alex/ welshdevondragon
House:*Gryffindor
Title: Reading The Night Away*
Word*Count:*376
Ratings/Warnings:*Slash, mention of sexual situations and mental disorders so 3rd-5th year.
Characters*Used: Neville, Luna and an OC, Igraine Rookwood.*
A/N:* As is becoming the norm for my drabbles, this contains an OC of mine and probably makes no sense if you’ve never read anything about her or her family before (sorry barmaids).

Igraine is Augustus Rookwood’s daughter. She attended Beauxbatons until her fifth year (DH therefore had to go to Hogwarts) and is in the same academic year as Asteria Greengrass and Romilda Vane, therefore is in one academic year below Hermione when Hermione returns for Seventh Year post DH. If using Hermione's last year at Hogwarts, rather than Harry and Ron's, doesn't count then ignore this drabble.

I have also invested Igraine with my hatred of high heels.


Thanks to Sarah/ TheCursedQuill for beta-ing.

She was never wearing high heels ever again, Igraine decided, leaning against the cool stone wall and feeling a deep sense of satisfaction as she yanked the offending shoes off. She did not understand why girls felt the need to wear them. Sure they made you taller, but she was already an inch off six foot so didn’t need help. And did guys really find high heels sexy? Or, for that matter, girls?

She swore aloud as her mind drifted, as it did with irritating regularity these days, to the girl in the year above her with radish earrings, dancing blue eyes and hair that wasn’t quite blonde.

“Language, deary,” a ghost said as it drifted past. Igraine bit back an angry response, but it wasn’t the ghost’s fault she was angry. She hadn’t wanted to go to the ball in the first place, but Asteria Greengrass, her closest friend at Hogwarts, had insisted. Asteria had even arranged for Igraine to go with Darren Harper, which Igraine thought was ironic given that Asteria was to date the only person she’d ever kissed. She was glad she’d got over that crush.

She could hear the sounds of laughter and loud music from the Great Hall but she wanted no part in it. It didn’t help that the invitations had been extended not just to Fifth Years and above but to anyone under the age of twenty one. Which meant that, somewhere in that room, Neville bloody Longbottom would be dancing, badly, with Luna Lovegood.

Igraine immediately felt guilty for that. That wasn’t fair. For a start, she wasn’t much of a dancer either (though she had treaded on Darren’s toes quite deliberately when he attempted a grope) and Neville was nice. She’d met him a few times as her mother and his parents were in the same ward at St Mungos.

Once Igraine had thought that, she knew there was no chance of her enjoying the evening. She instead took advantage of the somewhat laxer curfew and went to the library, to bury herself in someone else’s life, rather than her own. As she read, the sounds of the party became mere white noise, compared to the dialogue, thoughts and actions of the characters within the book.

[TheCursedQuill]

Name: TheCursedQuill
House: Gryffindor
Title: Young Love
Word Count: 399
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd year/none
Characters Used: Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, Celestina Warbeck
A/N: *lyrics from "You Charmed the Heart Right Of Me" by Celstina Warbeck. Lexicon/HBP chp.16. I had other plans for this drabble, but McGonagall was too interested in love to think of other things.

The Great Hall had been turned into a midsummer night’s dream for the new Summer Ball and Minerva proudly looked over the room that she helped create. Butterflies and twinkling faeries were fluttering around, grass was sprouting from the floor, and there was even a tiny patch of forest where the Head Table usually sat. Celestina Warbeck was singing on a raised platform that was charmed to look like a small, grassy hill, and her sultry love songs rang throughout the room creating the perfect, light hearted atmosphere. A few students were sitting on Transfigured mushrooms in the corner of the room and many were either huddled around the sweets table or sitting at one of the various dinner tables that overflowed with a variety of flowers.

But no one was on the sparkling dance floor that resembled water. Minerva sighed. Ms. Warbeck was giving it her all up on that hill and not one student could try to enjoy her music. She spotted Dumbledore coming out of the forest, walking towards her, and she closed the gap between them.

“May I?” Dumbledore said with an outstretched arm. His blue eyes twinkled under his half-moon glasses and she took his hand, smiling as he led her out to the dance floor.

“You look lovely in blue,” he said as they twirled around. Minerva smiled and said, “The colour reminds me of you.” His eyes sparkled as his smile met them.
“Oh, my poor heart, where has it gone? It's left me for a spell…” *

Celestina sang loudly, but Albus noticed the students leaving the Hall one by one. He sighed and shook his head.

“What have we done wrong?” he asked Minerva.

“To be honest, I think it’s Ms. Warbeck. Talented as she is, I don’t think she’s popular with the students.”

“Ah, an old man’s mistake. I thought she would do well with our theme for the evening.” He looked her in the eye as he said, “Young summer love.”

She laughed shortly and replied, “We are not so young anymore.”

“Oh quite the opposite, Minerva. As long as our hearts can love and our minds can think we will always be young.”

She smiled warmly and let him lead her around the dance floor. She loved the students more than anything; but she was happy they were leaving them alone to dance in the enchanted forest.

[Merlynne]

Name: Merlynne
House: Slytherin
Title: An Evening with the Governing Board
Word Count: 463
Ratings/Warnings: None
Characters Used: Severus Snape, Narcissa Malfoy
A/N: Intended to take place the summer before Harry’s sixth year and the events of the Half Blood Prince.

*

“I’ve always felt that it was such a waste that this place should go empty most of the summer,” remarked Horatio Wedgewood loudly to several other members of the Governing Board of Hogwarts who smiled agreed quite loudly as well, as he was of course Board President.

“Indeed, it is very beautiful,” added Mrs. Zabini, an aggressively beautiful woman who’d met three of her four husbands at the Midsummer Ball, having joined the Board for this purpose alone, a fact that everyone had been aware of, including the three unfortunate husbands.

Off to one side stood Narcissa Malfoy and Severus Snape, immersed in polite conversation about Draco’s grades and the price of Newt’s Eye while a Goblin chamber music trio turned the courtyard into a dance-floor. Ivy clung to the stone pillars, and in the evening summer sunshine the gargoyles cast elongated shadows. Narcissa pressed her lips to the edge of blindingly green cocktail, took a sip, and then remarked, in an aside to Wedgewood’s comment, “Funny, I always felt it was such a waste to fill this place with children ten months of the year. Will you dance with me, Severus?”

“I’d be honoured,” the potions master replied and set the cocktail glass aside to take the pale woman by the waist. The two sullen looking Slytherins danced under the setting sun in a scene that would have been beautiful were they not such unhappy people.

“Governing Board of Hogwarts Ball,” Narcissa proclaimed. “Sounds rather uncomfortable.”

“Indeed,” Severus agreed with a look of distaste that might in fact have been a smile. “But don’t be bitter, Narcissa. There are more uncomfortable places to be.”

“I ought to know,” Narcissa agreed. “Lucius is in one of them. Sometimes I envy him, Severus. It’s easier to play the victim from Azkaban.”

“Victimization never looked good on you, Narcissa,” Severus replied coldly. “So stop fishing for reassurances. You have a part to play, so play your part.”

“A part to play, what part do I get to play? The loyal wife...”

“Narcissa,” Severus interrupted. “All in good time. Our roles will be revealed.”

For a moment, she met Severus’s eyes and longed to demand more, but the potions master continued to talk. “As will, I am sure, the board’s verdict on the budget increase for hiring new staff?”

Narcissa sighed. “I do not see how that is even remotely relevant.”

“The Headmaster is pursuing a rather expensive replacement for the vacant teaching position.”

“Severus, honestly...”

“If you’ll excuse me, Narcissa,” Severus interrupted once more. “I must go inside and ask Sibyll for a dance.”

“Sibyll, not Trelawney?” Narcissa remarked.

“I’m afraid I lost a bet with Minerva,” Severus explained and lifted Narcissa Malfoy’s hand to his lips. “It turns out she’s rather excellent at cards.”

[melody93]

Name: melody93
House: Slytherin
Title: Dance with me
Word Count: 497
Ratings/Warnings: 1st-2nd year/None
Characters Used: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley
A/N: I’m kind of addicted to Harry/Hermione right now …

“Harry?”

Harry looked up as Hermione approached him. She looked great, he had to admit, but that wasn’t really a surprise anymore. After all, he’d seen her at the Yule Ball in their 4th grade, and he knew she could brush up pretty well.

“Hey, Hermione,” he said, smiling weakly. “What is it?”

“You’re not really having fun at all.” A frown was upon her face, and she sat down next to him. “Why aren’t you with Ginny?”

“I don’t honestly know where she is,” he admitted. “I think we’re kind of in the same situation as Ron and Lavender used to be, except I don’t know why we are.”

Hermione pursed her lips and looked thoughtful. “You know … maybe she thinks you’ve been avoiding her. And maybe you should have asked her to the ball in an entirely different way, except of hurriedly saying ‘hey Ginny, we’re going to the ball together, right?’. But, you know, what do I know?”

“So that’s the problem, then?” He gulped, trying to look for Ginny, but quickly gave up. “Ah, never mind. Do you want to dance?” he asked, extending his hand towards her.

Hermione raised one eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. “Do you even know how to dance?”

“Of course,” he said, immensely offended. “I was one of the champions in my fourth year – I had to know how to dance.”

Hermione chuckled but didn’t say anything, instead opting to take his hand and get up. Together, they moved towards the dance floor, in silence.

The music was a waltz and, thankfully, the rhythm was very perceptible, making it easy for him to understand when he should actually move his feet, instead of just swaying in place like an idiot.

He didn’t know, maybe Hermione was standing just too close for comfort, but he suddenly felt very warm, and his mouth dried up like an old prune. It made no sense, really – he and Hermione and hugged plenty of times, so her proximity really shouldn’t be such a big deal. It was, though.

“Are you okay, Harry?” she asked, concerned.

“Fine,” he squeaked out, quickly making her spin so he wouldn’t have to look her in the eye. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Ginny, who was standing next to Ron, and both of them were scowling while watching them.

“Ron and Ginny don’t seem too happy to see us,” Hermione commented, obviously having seen the same thing. “I expect everything from Ron at this stage, really, but Ginny? Ginny was never like that.”

Before he could reply, though, the dance ended, and they had to leave, except if they wanted to dance to the very slow waltz that was beginning to play.

“You know, we’re best friends,” he started to say, and her gaze moved to him. “People can think whatever they want. Care to dance again?”

She grinned and took his hand, and Harry quickly forgot about Ginny and Ron.

[iMusic17]

Name: iMusic17
House: Slytherin
Title: How I Met Your Mother
Word Count: 398
Ratings\Warnings: First to Second Years\ None
Characters used: Draco Malfoy\ Astoria Greengrass (mentions Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Voldemort, and Daphne Greengrass)

A\N: Takes place before Half Blood Prince


It was the summer after fifth year. Father had just been arrested, but Mother kept up the image that nothing was wrong. To help ‘the image’, she made me attend the Summer Ball at Hogwarts in July. As a consolation, at least Potty wouldn’t have been there, he would have been at his relatives, the Dursley's or something of the sort. Still, there had been a cloud hanging over my head that summer. The Dark Lord had yet to choose my punishment for my father’s actions. Nonetheless, I was determined to enjoy the ball, as it may have been my last as a free man, or alive one, for that matter.

After fussing over me for what seemed like eternity, my mother finally let handed me the floo powder and told me to start looking for an acceptable wife. Wife? I was a sixteen-year-old worried about Voldemort, not meeting girls. I smiled at her and disappeared to Hogwarts.

When I had arrived, the usual people were there. Almost every single pureblooded child that went to the school was there. Everyone had been glaring at me the entire night, both the Death Eaters and the good people, save for one person. The quiet witch in the corner who was reading a Potions book.

She was beautiful, in midnight dress robes that stood out against her pale skin and brought out the twinkle in her chocolate colored eyes. I would recognize that twinkle in one other person’s eyes in my life, and it was in the man I almost murdered. That’s another story, though. The witch had brown hair to match her eyes, and its soft curls cascaded around her face as she read her book.

I still did not realize that I had known her older sister, Daphne Greengrass, since the day I had entered the castle. But she was different; her facial features were soft, not etched in the scowl I so often saw on Daphne’s face. I knew then that no matter what, no matter what happened from the time I received my punishment to the time Potty finally defeats the Dark Lord, I will marry this girl. I succeeded, Mother, with your goal for the night. But, marriage has to start somewhere, and I needed to know her name before I proposed. So I asked her to dance, and she obliged.

That, Scorpius, is how I met your mother.

[Equinox Chick]

Name: Madam Carmeta/ Equinox Chick/ Caroleeeee
House: Hufflepuff
Title: Last Dance
Word Count: 411
Ratings/Warnings: 3rd-5th. SSP. Mild profanity
Characters Used: Oliver and Cedric
A/N: This is my OTP - well one of them.

The decision to hold a Summer Ball had been an odd one, and at the time, Oliver hadn’t paid much heed to it. He was duty bound to go as it was his last year, but had drawn the line at taking a partner.

“You could take anyone!” Fred had exclaimed in the common room. “Merlin, Oliver, you’re the bloody captain of the winning Quidditch team. Your only competition is the Head Boy.”

“And,” George put in, snorting, “much as we hate to admit it, Perce isn’t a catch. No one wants to go to the Ball with him.”

“Apart from Penny-lope,” Fred added.

“Hard to believe she’s a Ravenclaw,” George replied, sounding puzzled.

Oliver grinned at them, showing a lightness he didn’t quite feel. “I’m going alone, lads. It would look a bit off if I turned up with someone after finishing with Katie, don’t you think?”

The twins shrugged. “She’s seeing Lee. I don’t think she’d be that fussed,” Fred replied.

“Awww, Fred, Oliver looks all upset now,” George said and started laughing as Oliver blushed. “You could take Alicia ... or that Ravenclaw that has a crush on you. That’d show Katie.”

“Glad she’s happy,” mumbled Oliver, “but I’m going alone.”

***

Alone wasn’t quite the word for it, not really. Oliver may have entered the Great Hall by himself, and he may not have taken to the dance floor with anyone, but he wasn’t alone.

He could never be alone, not whilst someone from the opposite side of the room watched his every move.

He sipped his drink (Firewhisky smuggled in under the Head Boy’s nose), and slowly tilted his head up, meeting the eyes that studied him.

“Outside,” he mouthed, and smiled when his watcher acquiesced with a smirk.

“You enjoying yourself?” Oliver asked, ten minutes later.

“Music’s crap, and that bloody girl on your team keeps trying to chat me up,” Cedric complained.

“You don’t want a dance, then?” Oliver mocked softly.

Cedric glowered, his handsome features darkening as he pulled Oliver towards him. “You know exactly what I want,” he muttered.

“You’re not thinking straight,” Oliver insisted. “We can’t go in there together, not right now.”

The band started to play again, a slow mournful tune lilting towards them.

“What then?” Cedric asked, sounding bitter. “What do you want from me?”

Oliver smiled, cupped Cedric’s face in his hands, drawing him down until their lips touched. “Last dance, Ced,” he murmured. “Our dance.”

~Carole~