To Find What is Lost

Chapter 20: Dancing

Hi!! Twentieth chapter, woop woop!! So, um, interesting development this chapter... please let me know what you think in the comments cuz I've been dying to know how you guys will take it! -Emmi

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Even the fact that they were now studying Acromantula couldn't dampen Nico's mood. Well okay, being bitten by a poisonous spider did hurt quite a bit, but madam Pomfrey healed it up in a jiffy and he was back to his usual -not hallucinating and screaming wildly- self.

The whole day (except the spider bite) seemed to be in his favour, as his next lesson was History of Magic.

History of Magic was Nico's favourite lesson, simply for the reason that he didn't have to do anything. Professor Binns was mortally (or ghostly?) terrified of him, and kept squealing and dropping things whenever Nico was around.

If anyone had picked up on it, though, they didn't say anything.

Of course, a responsible person would have tried to put the ghost at ease and continued with the lesson; Nico, though, can hardly be blamed for being immature enough to take advantage of being the supreme-lord of one of his teachers.

He just wished he had more undead professors.

So now, sitting at the back of the classroom, Nico had ample time to think.

Amid his many whirling thoughts, came the question that he had been too preoccupied to think about before.

"See you at dance."

Dance.

They had to learn to dance!

"Oh no." he groaned.

"What is it?" asked Blaise, yawning.

"I think we have to learn to dance."

Blaise raised an eyebrow.

"We'll be fine, don't worry. It's the Italian blood."

Nico wasn't so sure, but he shook his head and sighed. "I'll pray that you're right."

***

Blaise was right in a way, the boy himself was an expert dancer, and swirled over the dance floor as if he was on wings. To make matters worse, so did Draco.

Luckily Nico was not the only one to trip and fall over his own feet, pretty much all of their class were terrible. About half of the girls and a quarter of the boys were actually good at dancing, and all the others were just falling all over the place.

Unfortunately Nico was one of the "falling all over the place" people. He felt that he should be able to dance -dark and mysterious Ghost King that he was- but he now realised that he had never practiced, and it's hard to be good at something if you haven't ever done it before. Not impossible, but very freaking hard.

Professor McGonagall however, decided that "hard" was not a good enough excuse to stop dancing class. She drove them to practical insanity. Even the dancers in the group were starting to grow tired of gliding effortlessly for three hours a day.

They arrived back at the common room after the fourth day of Nico's very own personal fields of punishment, and the three boys collapsed on their beds.

"Only three and a half weeks to Will." Nico whispered to himself through his bedsheets to stop himself from screaming into his pillow. Then he remembered something, and finally he had an opportunity. Malfoy couldn't avoid him all the time, because they shared the same dorm.

"Draco," he said, sitting up. The blonde was lounging on his bed, reading a book of classic muggle fairy-tales. He was perfectly poised and dressed as usual, in his beige casual trousers and pristine white roller neck jumper. Nico envied that he had enough energy to take care of his appearance every day. As Draco looked up at him, he felt suddenly self conscious of his simple wrinkled black jeans and t-shirt.

He shook his head to clear it of these ridiculous thoughts.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Nico frowned, all week the blonde had been avoiding him and now he was perfectly fine to talk with him? Draco was very confusing sometimes.

"I forgot to ask, my boyfriend's coming over for the ball, but you have to agree to share our dorm with him." For some reason he felt funny saying those words, and a slight blush crept onto his cheeks.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Your boyfriend?" A small smirk touched his lips as he studied the other boy. "Of course. I'll be pleased to meet him."

Nico nodded his thanks, then felt the sudden urge to run away.

The son of Hades had never been one to resist the urge to run away, and he didn't start now.

A few minutes later found him sitting under a tree by the lake, twisting his skull ring absentmindedly as he watched the giant squid twist and play beneath the black icy waters.

Groaning, he put his head in his hands.

Will. Will. Will. Will. Dra-

"Stop it!" he shouted.

"Oh, well that's a bit rude." said a pouty voice.