Bad Decisions | Fred Weasley

Six: The Seduction of the Century

McGonagall spun around to face the boys, "Inside every boy a lordly lion prepared to prance -- Mr. Weasley."

Ron, suddenly meek and scared, looking like anything but a 'lordly lion', stood and joined her, placing his hand on the professor's waist. Fred wolf whistled, to which he received a glare and the start of a middle finger from his younger brother. As Filtch started up the phonograph, the two began a simple waltz, and soon enough the rest of the students were instructed to stand and find partners.

Sylvia knew she couldn't approach Fred, Angelina was eyeing him already anyways. Alicia had already made a beeline to George, plucking him away from the wall and dragging him onto the floor. She pulled at the hem of her sweater, not expecting anyone to approach her, themselves, so she stepped out, holding her hands together behind her as she surveyed the crowd. Boys reluctantly mumbled at girls who excitedly nodded their heads and spun into dance.

Someone bumped up against her shoulder, tearing her attention away from the other students pairing up as she turned around to see who it was. Turning around as well, Chris Garland paused before raising his eyebrows, scanning Sylvia up and down as a smile crept onto his lips.

"Sylvia." He cocked his head to the side.

She cleared her throat and blinked her eyes at him, feeling a warmth grow on her cheeks. She cursed herself for letting herself be so flustered by him, but any girl would feel the same.

"Chris."

"Care to dance?" He held a hand out.

Sylvia looked at it, then back up to his face. He cocked an eyebrow at her and with a quick breath and a tight-lipped smile, she placed her hand in his. They positioned themselves, her other hand on his shoulder and his on her waist and he nodded, signaling them to begin.

McGonagall stopped the students every few minutes to teach them a new move, each one more embarrassing than the last. But Chris laughed with Sylvia each time they had to twirl around or he had to lift her and spin in place. At one point, when they had gotten the hang of the dance sequence and were moving with ease, he glanced over her shoulder.

"You're friends with Fiona right?"

"Hm?" She glanced around, finding the girl angrily trying to teach Andrew Saxby how to do a three-step, "Fiona Belmont? Sort of. She's my potions partner."

Chris nodded, pausing for a moment as he twirled Sylvia out and back in.

"Do you think she has a date to the ball yet?"

She snorted, raising an eyebrow at him.

"We just heard about the dance today."

"Yeah well. Saxby could've already asked her for all we know."

Sylvia glanced back to the couple. Fiona's jaw was stiff and her eyes shot daggers at Andrew, who couldn't stop stepping on her toes.

"I doubt it. Besides," She looked back to Chris, "any girl in here would drop their date in a second if you asked them."

Chris's eyes lit up and a bright smile spread across his face. He let out a surprised laugh, raising an impressed eyebrow at her.

"You are not a very... reticent person, are you, Sylvia?"

She gave a mere shrug, "It's just the truth."

"Well," he blinked back, "thanks."

Sylvia sat between Alicia and Fiona, sharing the massive potions textbook on the Gryffindor table as they copied down notes into their books. Though they were hardly studying. Sylvia flipped through the book mindlessly, writing down random bolded words she noticed. Fiona, head resting in her palm murmured, looked bored beyond belief.