Therefore, I Dance

I had been made for dance. And I had known it all my life. The only problem was that I had to do it in secret, where no one could find me. Even while I lived in Hogwarts, I danced. And few knew it. This comes from the power and emotion of a Ravcenclaw who was a dancer at heart, body, mind and soul.

I had been forbidden to dance. My father hated it. I never had the courage to ask why. He was a powerful man who was in charge of his household and an important person in the ministry. I was to go to Hogwarts to be under the instruction of Albus Dumbledore. This was to be a private school, a boarding school, where I would be properly raised to become some rich man's wife. Whomever my father chose for me to marry, I was to marry, and not make a fuss, for proper young ladies were to be obedient and those who were not would never go far in life. My father promised to disown me if I did not make the grades he expected, or if I disagreed with anything he said. I vowed myself to never go against him.

So I went to Hogwarts and I was taught. I was expected to be in Ravenclaw, for they were the most intelligent and most proper, and if I was not, serious trouble would sure follow once my father found out.

The night I remember most from my first year was my sorting. I was so extremely nervous and I couldn't get my mind off my hopes to be a Ravenclaw, not just because my father had claimed it would be so, but because I wanted to be part of the wonder of Ravenclaw.

I remember the entire conversation between my mind and the hat.

"Turpin, Lisa," Professor McGonagall called.

I stepped up to the stool while Professor McGonagall lifted the hat and waited for me to sit down. I did so and the hat was placed on my head.

"Ahh... you are a special one aren't you? You dance! How spectacular..." the hat said. It mumbled some inaudible words and then continued.

"But what house to put you in... what house indeed... oh.. the mind of a Ravenclaw... the manners of a Hufflepuff... oh... but the will of a Slytherin... you possess the charms and nerve to withstand of a Gryffindor... you have all the necissary qualities of each house... so where should you belong?"

"Oh please! Ravenclaw!" I begged in my head."Ravenclaw is for me!"

"No, Ravenclaw is for your father... is it not?" the hat asked.

"No! Ravenclaw is for me!" I told the hat. "For me!" I stressed. Then I realized that I was arguing and I was immediately sorry for it.

"See girl, you are sorry... do not be sorry! Be who you want to be!" the hat sighed. "Be who Lisa Turpin is!" I didn't know what to think. I had never been told that before.

"Now... where does Lisa Turpin choose to be?" the hat asked me.

"I choose to be in Ravenclaw," I thought.

"Very well then... if it is Ravenclaw you choose, then so it shall be... RAVENCLAW" the hat screamed loudly throughout the Great Hall. I stood up to join my fellow Ravenclaws. It was one of few moments of happiness for me in that year. I had made my first decision on my own, without the intrusion of my father.

Another moment was within the first week of school. I had gotton lost and found a blank room. A simple mirror refleceted the entire left wall. As I came into the room, a torch lit, by magic, and light filled the room. I saw myself in the mirror. I had seen mirrors before that told you what you wanted, showed your biggest hopes, but this one was doing nothing, which was special when considering that it was in the middle of a huge hundred year old castle. For some reason, I was drawn to this room. Something told me to spin, to twirl. I took a few spins and suddenly I was only the other side of the room.

For the next few nights, when it was after dark, I would sneak past teachers to come to this room, to dance, but only for the first few nights after the discovery.

A letter came from my father. It hurt me and brought me far into depression, worse even, than when he was actually yelling at me. He didn't send me a Howler, he didn't use inappropiate language, it was just the tone in which the letter was stated.

Daughter,

I have recieved information that tells me that you have been sorted into Ravenclaw. Good. Just as I had anticipated. Should you stray from your work and make yourself less presentable than under my watch, you will be back in my home before your teachers can stop me. I will expect a bi-weekly grade update from your teachers. I do not care if you have to force them to give you your current grade, I will have an update every two weeks. Since you are under the care of a new school, I will not tolerate any activities that will bring you from your studies. You reflect me and I insist on being known as the best. If this is not understandable, I do not care. You will follow all of my instructions and I expect perfection. If you aren't perfect, then I'm not perfect, and I will not tolerate imperfection.

Now, continue on with your studies and follow all instructions given by me or your teachers.

Thomas Turpin

Thomas Turpin

Ministry of Magical Foriegn Affairs

So from then until after Christmas, I did not dare dance. My father was much too strict for me to do anything but study and make the top grades of the school. Dancing was my power, my strength, and nobody at Hogwarts knew. When I came back two days early before Christmas break, I felt like I needed to dance after all the pain my father put me through the past couple of days.

I followed the passage that I always took to my special room where I danced. I felt so powerful, so sure of myself as I danced to no music, to music only I heard in my head. Suddenly, I was disturbed. I heard someone behind me. They had been watching me for a long time. I turned around.

"Miss Turpin, beautiful performance," he said.