Oliver Evans is The Prodigy of the Heart (Book One)

Chapter Nine: The Winter Ball

"We don't know, sir." I said sheepishly

"Oh!" Dumbledore exclaimed, "There you are."

We all turned around to see Felicity walking up to us. She was dressed in the winter ball gown, a deep blue gown that puffed out from her tightly bound waist. The dress glided across the floor as she took each step. Her hair was pulled back in a sophisticated tie; her eyes were dusted with a light blue shadow. My jaw dropped as she stood next to me and faced Dumbledore, "Sorry I was a little late. No one came to pick me up." she said through gritted teeth

"Ms. Day, it is lovely to see you this evening," Dumbledore said to her "Now that everyone is here, let's quickly go over some very important information. Each school has selected their own dance to perform. Ilvermorny will be going first, then Mahoutokoro, followed by Uagadou, and finally Hogwarts. Do the very best you can, I know you are all capable of doing wonderful things tonight. The school who performs the greatest dance will win not only honour and pride, but their school's name on the title page of the Daily Prophet. The winners will be globally known, and globally respected."

I looked around to see all the other students were bouncing with excitement. Felicity and I stood silently, attempting to avoid eye contact. Dumbledore put us in order, and opened the doors to the great hall. The entire hall had been transformed into a brightly lit ballroom. Tall stone pillars were holding beautiful silk curtains that gently draped downwards. Students were standing against the far walls, leaving the middle of the floor completely open. When I stepped onto the floor, my mind went back to the night that I stood there with Snape; the moonlight hitting us as we danced across the hall. I closed my eyes and remembered the hypnotic aroma that came from his night robes, and the touch of his hand on my waist. My concentration was lost when I felt a nudge on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Felicity glaring at me, "Are you just about done standing there like a moron?"

"S..sorry" I stuttered, shaking my head. She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to where the other students were standing, waiting for the ball to begin. The students against the walls were whispering and snickering, quickly pointing over to me and Felicity. She shot them a dirty look and they abruptly stopped. We followed behind Yataku, who was holding onto Oba's arm. Once we were at the front of the hall, the bustling commotion stopped, all eyes faced us. All of the visiting headmasters were seated at the high table, which had been covered with an elegant dark purple sash. Dumbledore motioned for Ellen and Floyd to go to the center of the hall. Floyd held out his hand, taking Ellen's as a soft melody began to play. The lights of the hall dimmed as Floyd pulled Ellen into their starting dance position.

Everyone watched as Ellen and Floyd moved across the great hall, seamlessly floating along to the music. Each step they took into one another seemed perfectly placed. I followed them with my eyes as Felicity tapped on my back "Over here" she whispered sharply. I quietly stepped back to where she was standing and crooked my head "What do you want?" I replied softly

"Look, you and I know that we don't want to be here with each other. You can't let that get in the way of us winning. I've been waiting for this moment my entire life, so you better not make a fool of me."

I saw an opportunity to obtain some much sought after information. I smirked "Tell me what you were doing in the potions classroom our first day back."

She stomped "Absolutely not!"

"Then consider this competition to be lost." I started to head back to the group

"No! Wait," she said grudgingly "I'll tell you."

I turned back towards her "I'm listening."

"I'm looking for something."