When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls, leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.
The Weird Sisters now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. Hermione, Harry, and (Y/n) exchanged wide-eyed looks. The Weird Sisters picked up their instruments and the lanterns on all the other stables had gone out, and the champions and their partners were standing up.
"What're we doing?" (Y/n) hissed.
"We're supposed to dance," Cassius said.
"...alone?"
"With the other champions," Cassius said. This did not reassure (Y/n) whatsoever.
The Weird Sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune and Cassius moved a hand to (Y/n)'s waist as hers moved to his shoulder and held his other hand. It wasn't bad at all, (Y/n) thought. So long as she forgot that people were watching them, she got lost in the song as the four sets of students waltz around: the very thing they had been practising for the last three weeks. Harry and Ron's constant snickering (in addition to the crowds snickering over the two) also helped lighten things up.
"Oh, fuck me," Cassius hissed, looking off to the side.
"Sorry?" (Y/n) mumbled. "Can't we at least wait until after the ball?" Cassius laughed as he twirled around (Y/n). (Y/n) caught sight of Tonks, Penny, Freyja, and Merula glaring at Cassius. Merula had pointed at her eyes and then at Cassius, much to (Y/n)'s amusement. Ben Cooper waved at (Y/n) with a soft smile and she nodded back at him. She assumed they were there to chaperone the dance, perhaps even visit Charlie when he was here about a month ago with the dragons... Or maybe it was to see the Weird Sisters perform. The likeliest was all of the above.
From what (Y/n) could remember, Merula and Freyja had started their relationship before her first year and their seventh year. Now, Freyja looked very pregnant and both Merula and Ben seemed to be waiting on her every need. Tonks was swaying to the tune, and bumping their shoulders with Penny's. They both were wearing matching smiles as they watched the champions dance.
By the time the second slow dance had started, other couples were coming to the dancefloor, so the champions were no longer the centre of attention. (Y/n) saw Ginny trying to dance with a very rambunctiously-dancing Luna and Padma and Neville were elegantly waltzing around at Padma's lead. The dance lessons really seemed to help prevent any of Padma's toes from being crushed. Parvati and Lavender and Dean and Seamus were dancing close to one another and, every once in a while, they'd switch partners just for the fun of it. Daphne and Pansy were dancing in sync, not even needing to keep their eyes open to know where they were going. Dumbledore was waltzing with Madame Maxime. He was so dwarfed by her that the top of his pointed hat barely tickled her chin; however, she moved very gracefully for a woman so large. Mad-Eye Moody was doing an extremely ungainly two-step with Professor Sinistra, who was nervously avoiding his wooden leg.
"Nice socks, Potter," Moody growled as he passed, his magical eye staring straight through Harry's robes.
"Oh— yeah, Dobby the house-elf knitted them for me," said Harry, grinning.
"Can he— Can he see through robes?" (Y/n) asked slowly, staring in horror after Mad-Eye Moody. Cassius, Harry, and Ron, all of whom caught what she asked, made choking sounds.
"Let's— Let's not think about that, love," Cassius said as though trying to erase that thought from his mind.
"Does it not disturb—"
"Yes, yes it does. But I don't want to think about the fact that he's probably seen everyone in the school naked."
"Ugh— Cassius!" (Y/n) grimaced.
