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

Chapter Seven: Moonlight Waltz

The pressure from my peers was weighing heavy on my shoulders. I couldn't sleep, eat or think straight. The ball was only a little over a week away, and I knew that I didn't know quite enough to properly represent Hogwarts. The dance I was instructed to perform was the waltz. Nothing in the library was helpful, and no one was willing to teach me different methods. I was on my own.

I let my legs dangle from the side of my bed. All the others had fallen asleep, and the only light was from my bedside. I heard a quiet roll of thunder come from outside. "Maybe the thunder could cover me sneaking out?" I whispered to myself. Carefully, I started to stand up; attempting my best to make my movements only when I heard the thunder. Slipping into my shoes, I stood up and headed down the dormitory stairs. I had left my glasses on my bedside table, hoping to fool someone into thinking I had just stepped out to use the lavatory if my bed was found empty. I pushed the door to the common room open and tiptoed into the hall. "Okay," I took a deep breath "It's now or never."

I began to walk down the corridor, following the shadows that danced along the candlelit wall. I was headed for a small, empty room that was in the depths dungeons. It used to be storage for the potions master. However, one year a seventh year Hufflepuff boy got greedy and decided to use the room as his personal ingredient store. So Dumbledore had storage moved elsewhere.

I drug my hand against the wall, searching for the knob to the room. Once my hand hit the handle, I quietly turned the knob and scurried inside. I reached into my pocket and took out my wand; "Lumos". The tip of my wand began to shine. I checked the room to make sure I was completely alone. No one was there.

I set my wand onto a nearby shelf, and walked to the center of the room. The room was tall and wide, but relatively small. The walls were made of black stone, which was damp and had small cracks that leaked lake water onto the floor. On the ceiling, odd shaped green plants hung that let out an interesting odour. There wasn't a single piece of furniture in the room, it was completely empty besides the shelves hanging on the walls.

I put my arms out in the position to start a waltz. "One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three." I began to dance. "And one, two, three. One, two, thre-"Suddenly, I heard the door to the room beginning to swing open. Professor Snape stood in the doorway and narrowed his eyes at me. I froze as the light from my wand went out. I heard the clicking of his heels hit the stone floor, slowly growing closer to me. He stopped about a foot away and my whole body tensed up.

"Am I in trouble?" I whispered into the darkness

Snape stayed silent for a moment before speaking in a very dull tone, "Come with me, Mr. Evans."

I followed close behind as Snape lead the way through the dark corridors. Taking turns sharply, I was hardly able to keep up at his pace. The halls were silent, only the sound of our footsteps echoed against them. It felt as though we had been walking for hours before we finally appeared before the doors of the great hall. The hall was empty and quiet. Not a single soul was present. Rain slowly began to fall from the ceiling as we entered. I hadn't been in the great hall so late at night before. It had a warm feeling, like a blanket draped around my shoulders as we both approached the middle of the room.

"Professor," I peered up at Snape, nervously looking around 

"Don't say another word." he drew his wand and pointed to the front of the hall "Lumos Maxima." A ball of incredibly bright light flew from the tip of his wand and landed in the middle of the stained glass windows. It shimmered against the now steady rain falling from the ceiling above, showering the whole room with a moonlit glow. "I didn't bring you here for idle conversation," he turned to me and outstretched his hand "I brought you here to perfect your form."