Writing Wednesday #1 ~ Dance

To start this Writing Wednesday off, I'm going to use this as a hint ;)

Yes, I had to start off Harry Potter themed, I'm so sorry! No, I did not read Goblet of Fire to make it exact, as this is only a sort piece, but if I were writing a full-on fanfiction, I probably would, because I'm obsessive like that!
So, weighing in at 1325 words, we have Dance! Enjoy x

Smoothing the folds of her dress, Violet took a long, shaky breath to calm herself before she descended. You’d think, for a Potter, she wouldn’t be that bothered by attention, and yet her heart still raced in her chest, pounding so fast she was sure she could feel it pressing into her rib cage.

Taking a quick peek around the corner, she spotted him. He certainly looked the part of a champion in his dress robes, and as he turned, she could see a violet tie around his neck, which he was absentmindedly fiddling with, constantly tightening it, then loosening the knot.

He was just as nervous then. That was good; that meant she wasn’t the only one.

Swiping her palms against the fabric of her dress, she couldn’t help but admire the design of it. She hadn’t thought her uncle paid that much attention to things like fashion, or even her dress size, but when it had arrived carried by two owls last week, she had fallen in love with the violet silk, which not only brightened her flaming hair, now piled into a mass of braids on her head thanks to Alex’s hair expertise, but brought out her violet eyes, making them look unique rather than outlandish, even by magical standards.

“You know we’re starting the dance, right?” questioned a voice from behind her. Cedric had snuck up on her when she wasn’t looking. After recovering from the mini heart attack her best friend had caused, Violet dared herself to look him in the eyes. The grey of his eyes seemed to gleam silver with anticipation. Taking her hands in his, Violet revelled in the warmth of his touch. “You’ll be fine Vi, I’ll be leading.”

“Like that’s something that’s meant to reassure me,” she retorted, a small smirk gracing her face, matching the crooked quirk of his lips.

“You’re being sarcastic. All’s good, then!” He smiled, beginning to tug her towards the stairs. “Come on, Champions are meant to get to their positions before everyone enters. McGonagall’s gonna turn us into reindeer if we’re not there.”

They were halfway down the stairs when Violet stopped, caught by the eyes of everyone around her. Bowing her head, Violet withdrew her hand from Cedric’s, ready to retreat back to the Hufflepuff dormitory before he caught a hold of it once again, holding it even tighter than he had before.

“They’re all staring, Cedric,” Violet pleaded, glancing at the occupants of the entrance hall, spotting the twins in one corner with Angelina and Alicia. They offered excited waves and supportive thumbs ups before returning to their conversation. Harry was nowhere to be seen; maybe he was outside Ravenclaw tower waiting for his date, a fifth year by the name of Cho.

“Why shouldn’t they be staring at the belle of the ball, Vi?” her own date asked, smiling up at her, the same smile she’d been seeing everyday since the day they’d met five years before.

“Don’t say that when there’s a Veela descendant in there,” she directed, keeping her eyes on their intertwined hands. Alex had painted her nails an orange-gold to contrast her dress, but match her hair.

“You’re clueless, Vi,” Edward whispered with a shake of his head. “Who cares if there are Veela or not? I certainly don’t! I’d much rather be spending my time with my best friend, anyway. You’ll be more understanding if I step on your foot anyway,” he said with a wink, before pulling her down the stairs once again, his grip on her hand keeping her from stopping.

Ignoring the inhabitants of the entrance hall, Cedric guided Violet all the way to the doors of the Great Hall. Holding the door open for her, Violet slipped inside, seeing Fleur and her date, Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, Roger Davies.

“Looks like you lucked out, Cedric,” Roger commented whilst shaking Cedric’s hand before offering a smile to Violet.

“Yeah, I have,” Cedric said confidently, wrapping a hand around Violet’s waist, “but it seems I’m not the only one.” At this he nodded towards Fleur, who was scrutinising the castle’s decorations, murmuring something about perpetual ice?

At the sound of the Great Hall’s doors opening once again, Violet turned to see Harry in a bottle green set of dress robes, with Cho hooked around his elbow. It took Violet a moment to calm herself from the instant realisation of how much Harry looked like Dad. Yes, people commented on the siblings’ resemblance to their parents, bar their eyes, but now, looking far more mature than fourteen, Violet could finally see it. She could see how his glasses rested just on the bridge of his nose like Dad’s had, how his eyes seemed to shine by the lights of the decorations around them, just like Mum’s had when it came to Christmas, how his hair, although looking like it had been tamed, was as was as unruly as ever. Violet smiled to herself, thinking of the boy she’d met 5 years ago; that boy was long gone, replaced by an experienced boy who always had his heart in the right place.

A squeeze of her waist brought Violet’s eyes to the other boy in her life. Cedric smiled at her, pointing to the doors at the other side of the Hall. In strode Viktor Krum, with a girl Violet barely recognised on his arm. Of course she knew it was Hermione; the Gryffindor had told her about her suitor as soon as he’d begun talking to her. Violet had to say, the dress she’d helped Hermione pick fitted so well, the skirt flowing in controlled waves, just like her hair. Hermione would have to tell her how she’d tamed her wild locks without making it look overworked. Smiles were exchanged between the two girls, compliments were mouthed, all whilst Hermione eyed Harry, who was having trouble recovering his jaw from the floor.

Dumbledore’s voice sounded behind the 4 pairs, calling them into position. Cedric began to lead Violet to the eastern side of the hall. As he settled his hand upon her waist, albeit rather shyly, his anxious smile morphed into one of confidence, a transformation Violet had witnessed one too many times in the last couple of months. “Still going to forgive me if I stand on your foot?” he asked, the anxiety still showing in his voice.

“That depends if you’ll forgive me,” Violet smiled, squeezing his shoulder in encouragement.

The hall filled at an agonising pace, all four partners stood poised like wind-up ornaments, waiting for a child to wind them up and for the dance to begin. The enchanted instruments got into position, with Cedric’s exhale hidden in the noise they were making. There was only time for another reassuring squeeze of their hands before the dance began.

Violet decided to ignore the crowd for this dance – for this dance, she would be alone with Cedric, held in each other’s hands, completely trusting each other to make sure they didn’t fall. This was the first time since his name had been pulled from the Goblet where they could go completely uninterrupted, and Violet did not want to waste it.

The molten silver of his eyes gleamed, his smile warm and genuine, not just the feigned confidence of a Champion, but the warm trust of a friend. His other hand slipped to her waist as the dance came to the first lift. With an almost apologetic smile, he lifted her, hands keeping her aloft for those few moments.

This continued; the reassuring smiles, the communicative eyes, and even the trodden toes. Once the Champion’s dance was over, Violet was already missing that private time with her best friend, but another squeeze of her hand held a promise. His smile told her that he was missing it too, that he was already planning more private time, no hordes of followers, no Rita Skeeter, just the Potter and the Champion.