Rating:
G
House:
Astronomy Tower
Characters:
Luna Lovegood Other Magical Creature
Genres:
Friendship General
Era:
The Harry Potter at Hogwarts Years
Stats:
Published: 03/23/2006
Updated: 03/23/2006
Words: 837
Chapters: 1
Hits: 564

Dancing in the Snow

HermioneDancr

Story Summary:
While the rest of Hogwarts dances at the Yule Ball, Luna finds another place to dance and searches out a friend to share it with. This story was written for Poultrygeist99 for Secret SPEW at MuggleNet fan fiction. Fluffy. one-shot.

Chapter 01

Posted:
03/23/2006
Hits:
564


Luna sat in one of the silk lined window seats in the Ravenclaw Common Room, watching the antics of her housemates with amusement. Padma Patil stood before one of the full-length mirrors that lined the walls, face carefully expressionless as she turned and examined her profile. Cho Chang and her friend Marietta sat on silk-covered stools, carefully helping each other with their make-up. The Common Room was a whirl of color--dress robes of every color swished and swirled upon the bodies of excited young girls and reflected in the mirror. It seemed every girl in Ravenclaw in fourth year and higher (and even a few third years) was preparing for the Yule Ball.

Luna herself was not going, as she was only a third year and no one had thought to ask her. Not that she minded, of course. It was far too likely that the decorations would be full of nargles. No, Luna was perfectly content to sit in her little cloud of ice blue silk and watch as the other girls prepared.

Eventually the boys started to trickle downstairs as well. Luna watched with amusement as Roger Davies walked into a delicate spindle-legged chair that he hadn't seemed to notice due to his apparent trance. His trancelike state struck her as odd, especially as there didn't seem to be any floodering willowgumps flying around. Luna supposed it must have something to do with the ball.

Little by little the Common Room emptied out as her housemates either joined their dates or went downstairs to find them. As the dusk deepened into night, Luna found herself alone. No longer a whirl of giggles and bright colors, the Common Room settled down to its usual hues of pale blue and cream.

After a moment to absorb the stillness of the room, Luna turned back towards the window. It seemed that with the night had come the snow. It was falling lightly, flecks whirling and spiraling as they fell towards the ground. Dancing, unbeknownst to the students who waltzed far less gracefully beneath the dark and cloudy ceiling of the Great Hall.

Suddenly Luna felt the urge to dance. Not at the ball, with the nervous girls and antsy boys, but out of doors, with the snow. She wanted to dance among the snowflakes.

Her mind made up, the girl dashed up to her dormitory for her cloak. Halfway to the grounds, she paused at the sound of crying emanating from the bathroom on the second floor. Pausing, she wondered if someone had been upset at the ball, although it had only just started. Then she remembered: Myrtle. This was Myrtle's bathroom.

On a whim, Luna entered the bathroom and knocked tentatively on the door of Myrtle's stall. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Alright? Alright?!? What do you think?" shrieked Myrtle. "I wanted to go to the ball. But no one asked me. No one wants to go to the ball with Myrtle, because Myrtle's dead!" And with that the ghost began to wail.

"Will you come with me?"

"What?"

"Not to the ball. Will you come?"

"Where?"

"It's a surprise."

At length Myrtle nodded. "I suppose."

Grabbing her hand (for it was, in Luna's opinion, very bad manners to be unwilling to touch a ghost), Luna pulled the ghost from the bathroom and down to the door. Myrtle hesitated on the threshold.

"It's snowing."

"I know it is. That's why I wanted to come."

"But I don't like the snow. It always got all over my glasses and made it impossible for me to see."

"But it won't do that now. And look, the snow is dancing."

Grudgingly, Myrtle looked. And slowly, she smiled a little. "I suppose it is."

Dreamily, Luna stared out into the falling snow. It was graceful, moving in quick whirls and calm spirals, just as her mother had. Silently she squeezed the ghost's hand, ignoring the feeling that her hand felt as if it were being absorbed into a bucket of freezing water. It was beautiful, this Christmas Eve.

The girls stood close, each silently thankful for the presence of the other. It was a beautiful Christmas Eve, a time that deserved to be shared. Away from the frenzy of the ball, it was a peaceful night.

"Come," said Luna. And with that she led the other girl out into the falling snow.

"It tickles," said Myrtle, giggling slightly and wriggling with delight. "It tickles as it falls through me."

Luna smiled and wondered if tickling smitelbees dropped ghost-snow on people to tickle them so thoroughly. Maybe, she decided. Either way, it was nice to see Myrtle laugh.

"Dance with me," she said. And Myrtle's smile widened.

They danced. The two girls waltzed together through the dancing snow. Two separate dances intertwined. The snow danced as it descended. The girls danced as their spirits rose.

Tinkles of delighted laughter pealed through the silent night. Two figures, one solid and one translucent, whirled and turned through the spiraling dance of the falling snow.