Vector's Challenge

Chapter 18

Vector checked to see that she had all her supplies. She had her music, her costumes, and her shampoo. It was best to be prepared for any contingency. She was still hoping that Dumbledore would pull some sort of last-minute change in the decision about who had won the bet. The Ravenclaw female Prefects were with her to guard her costumes. Between the Weasley twins and Slytherin House, there was more than enough potential for disaster. Vector gave a thin smile at the thought of the Anti-Libido charms she had placed on the Great Hall earlier that day, and the Anti-Omniocular Charm her Egyptian great-grandmother Vector had taught her. All those attempting to use an Omniocular to record her performance would find themselves holding up to their eyes a very angry ten-inch long scarab beetle. It was a trick her great-grandmother had used on quite a few men in her day. No permanent harm done, but it was decidedly off-putting.

"All right, ladies, let's go," she said to Su Li and Cho Chang.

"What about your music, Professor?' Chang asked her.

Vector replied, "Stone the crows! I'll forget my own head next. Thank you, Miss Chang." Vector grabbed the CDs and quickly read their labels to make sure that she'd grabbed the correct ones. She had worked out a complicated charm to convert the ones and zeros on the CD directly into audible music, no electronic equipment needed. It was something like reading a crystal, after all, so it had been considerably easier to deal with a CD than a magnetic tape. Vector would have hired musicians, but she didn't know any wizarding bands that played Middle Eastern music, and she couldn't bring her favorite Muggle musicians to Hogwarts.

Vector marched into the Great Hall with the Prefects trailing her. They spun off from her and sat down at the Ravenclaw table. Vector took a seat at the High Table, on the end, next to Arabella Figg. Snape glared at her as he noted her dress, green decorated with silver, and covering almost all of her, even if it did cover most of her body very snugly. Even if it did flare out at the elbows like a pair of great bells, all the better to show off her slender wrists. And even if it did have a low neckline and slits up to her knees, showing off her legs. He taunted her, "Lost your nerve, Emmy?"

Vector glared back at him. "Not at all, Severus. I merely do not wish to wear my costumes to dinner. I will change into them before the dance and during the intermission."

Due to this exchange, none of the professors noticed that the Weasley twins had gotten Vector's bag away from Li and Chang. The girls got it back after a bit of a struggle, but not before the bottle of shampoo in it had been exchanged for one that Fred and George had brought. Li and Chang, unfortunately, did not pick up on this exchange, as the bottle was almost exactly identical to Professor Vector's regular shampoo, with only the addition of a potion of Fred and George's devising in it to make it different. They had come up with a charm-activated Coloration Potion that would not activate until the words of the charm were spoken.

Vector ducked out after the main course had been served. She really had no appetite tonight, anyway, and had only shown up in the hopes that Dumbledore would change his mind. Li and Chang followed her out. Vector and the girls met up in the girls' lavatory. She began changing into her first outfit. When she was fully dressed in the teal green costume, Chang handed Vector her makeup case, and Vector began to paint her face. She normally did not wear much makeup during the day, but an evening candlelight performance before hundreds was not the time to go for the "natural" look. She adjusted her headdress one more time after she was done with her makeup, to make sure it was going to stay on her head and hold her hair back. She threaded the finger loops for her veil onto her middle fingers, and put her miniature cymbals, or zils, onto her thumbs and first fingers. Vector looked at her image in the mirror one last time.

"You look wonderful, ma'am," Chang said. Li nodded her agreement.

Vector took a deep breath. "Showtime," she muttered.

Meanwhile, out in the Great Hall, the other professors were patrolling the tables, to make sure that no practical jokes would be played during the performance. McGonagall had to confiscate some materials from the Weasley twins. At the Slytherin table, the mood was a bit different. After all, this was a victory for their Head of House. Marian Nott and some other Slytherin second-year girls were listening to Thaliana Greengrass talking about the tea party and fashion show again. Greengrass said, "And her first costume had a beautiful halter top with silver embroidery and sequins and beads all over it. Ooh, look, there she is, she's wearing it!"

Vector stood in the doorway of the Great Hall, wearing the teal green outfit, with her veil wrapped around her. She started slowly walking into the Hall, with Chang and Li following her.

Nott replied, "Oh, that top's lovely. I want one exactly like that."

Malfoy sneered. "You won't be able to find a top like that, Nott. After all, you'd have to stuff it full of socks in order to make it look exactly like Vector's."

Nott glared back at him. "Shut it, Malfoy. You put socks in your trousers."

Malfoy yelped, "I do not! And you'll never be in a position to find out."

Nott smirked. "I'm willing to take Crabbe's word for it." She paused. "And Goyle's." Another pause. "And Parkinson's."

Malfoy shouted, "Pansy Parkinson has never been in my trousers!" He froze as everyone within earshot turned and looked at him.

Dumbledore came up to the table. "Did someone say something about socks, Miss Nott? Some of mine have gone missing recently."

Marian Nott compressed her lips until they were a line, and shook her head, while letting out faint snorting sounds. Draco Malfoy blushed bright red. Some of the other Slytherins started laughing, and had to duck out of the Headmaster's sight. Severus Snape came up to them, and asked, "Would someone care to explain this to me?"

Corentyn Warrington was still laughing. "No, sir, no, sir," he replied. "Oh, look. Professor Vector's here and ready to start!"

Vector walked up to the open area before the High Table, and took a deep breath to calm down. She remembered Giana's advice to her on the last Thursday before. Giana had told her, "This is not a knowledgeable audience that'll grasp the subtleties; all they're interested in is the amount of skin showing and the potential to see even more." Vector tossed her head and snorted as she remembered how she and Giana had been cackling over Snape's probable reaction. Vector whispered the last piece of advice Giana had given her. "And remember, have fun with your dance." Vector walked twice around the area that she had selected, as the music started to play softly. Then she moved to the center of her area, placed her hands together, and bowed to the Head Table, and then turned and bowed to the students. Then she turned to the Head Table again, and started to dance to "Sitt el Hasan."

Vector looked at the entire Head Table. McGonagall, Figg, Sinistra, Hootch and Sprout were all smiling back at her and apparently mouthing words of encouragement. The male teachers, most of them, didn't seem to be all that interested. Excellent. The Anti-Libido Charm is working. She did not dare to look at Snape for very long. She could hear Giana's voice in her head, "Never give the eye to a particular man during a performance, not unless you want trouble."

The first song stopped and the second one began, and Vector heard the words, "Erev Shel Shoshanim."* This was one of the places where she had decided to improvise, and she started to play with her veil. She wrapped it and unwrapped the veil, feeling somewhat like a butterfly opening and closing its wings. She started to spin, and let her veil flow freely about her. She played with the veil, letting the music flow through her and into her hands. She finally started to whirl like a dervish, letting her eyes go unfocused, and turning her right palm up to the sky and her left one down to the earth. When the track came to an end, she stopped her spin, pulled off her veil, and sent it back to her bag with a wave of her wand. *Evening of Roses in Hebrew, a Jewish wedding song...

Snape sat back hard in his seat at that point. Now she was fully revealed. Her shoulders, arms and midriff were totally bare, and she didn't seem to be fazed by it. He thought, Corrupted by the Muggles, Emmy? The new music playing was much quicker in tempo. Snape watched her travel across the floor. He finally noticed that her feet were covered with little silvery shoes, and he was surprised. He had thought that the tradition was to go barefoot. He would have to ask her about it afterwards. Afterwards. Oh gods. He let his mind wander off into a pleasant fantasy about her dancing for him privately in his rooms. He clenched his teeth. No, Severus, no. Not yet. Not yet.

Vector concentrated on the music. This track was a long medley of George Abdo, starting with "Hadouni, Hadouni." She had picked out the quicker-paced songs, to make a nice contrast from the slow veil work. She kept time with her zils. Dear sweet Mary but she missed having a live band to respond to...She shot a quick glance at Snape as he sat at the table. He looked as stiff as an Egyptian monument, and about as responsive. She quickly looked away.

Snape, meanwhile, was thinking dark and jealous thoughts. All right, Emmy, I was wrong about your dancing, and you've proved it. Do you have to be dancing like this in front of everyone? In front of all your male colleagues and students? Although I suppose that for Binns it doesn't matter, because he forgot what sex was a hundred years before he died. But how dare you treat me as equivalent to Binns, and pay the same amount of attention to both of us! I was the one who you made the bet with, and I'm the one you should be paying attention to! You should be dancing for me and only for me, dammit! The thought of Emmy Vector dancing alone for him, down in his quarters, on his territory, made his lips turn up at the corners.

The fast songs came to an end, and "Cleopatra," by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, started. Emmy smiled at this, as it was one of her favorites. Wahab's lyrics reminded her of the Song of Songs, of the lovers looking for each other. She came to rest and she started the slow undulations, moving her arms, bringing them up above her head like a temple dancer, and slowly moving her head from side to side. She let herself feel the music, feel the beat. This was much slower; it was like moving through water. She could now afford to look around a bit more without going dizzy and sick, and she smiled as she saw that the Slytherin and Ravenclaw students seemed to be enjoying themselves. As she turned toward the High Table, she saw the teachers all smiling, except for Snape. But even Snape's lips were turning up slightly at the corners. Emmy's eyes narrowed. She thought, I will win your unqualified appreciation of me yet, Severus Snape.

Vector's smiles and frowns had triggered Snape's jealousy again. Why are you smiling and frowning, Emmy? Does the song remind you of that Muggle you married? Of your lost love? Did you ever dance like this for him? Snape shifted in his seat. He was uncomfortably aware of Vector's body, and he wished that he were alone with her. Control yourself, Severus, he thought. Think of something else. Ice water. A whole bath full of ice water, and you in it. That didn't seem to be doing the trick, as he started to wonder how Vector would like a nice cool bath after this, and how he'd like to be in that bath with her. All right, I'll contemplate that buck-toothed chit Granger doing the Dance of the Seven Veils. Enough to put any man off.

The next song Emmy had picked out was "Asmar Yasmarani." It was quick-paced again, and Emmy danced faster and faster, leaping like a lamb in spring. She started looking at Severus more and more frequently, daring him. Challenging him. She could feel the sweat beading down her back. She was so tempted to break the other major rules as well, to make the sort of vulgar gestures that all proper dancers would not lower themselves to do, but she could hear Giana's voice in her head. "Vulgar gestures cheapen the art in the eyes of the public, and make life more difficult for the next dancer." And besides, she didn't want to get shagged on a table in the Great Hall, with the students still present. So she restrained herself, and concentrated on the music and her form first, and Severus second.

Snape's ego was soothed by Vector's attention, but his mind wouldn't stop working. Dear Merlin, what are the female students going to do? Are they all going to try to emulate her? Will they ask her for lessons? If they do, there goes any chance that anyone will learn anything this year. Well, if Granger asks her for lessons, I could blame this whole fiasco on her and Potter somehow...

"Asmar Yasmarani" came to an end, and the drum solos started. Emmy had picked out a selection from Hossam Ramzy's works. She remembered Giana's admonition to "have fun!" again, and threw herself into the rhythms with a second wind. She moved her hips in time with the drums. The students started to clap in time.

Snape glared at her as she danced to the drums. The drums and her motions seemed too animalistic, somehow. He was grateful that Remus Lupin wasn't there. That damned werewolf was enough of a lady-killer without inspiration. If he were here, he'd probably be transformed, and try to attack her in more senses than one. Although what do I know about the mating rituals of werewolves? Maybe he'd sniff her in inappropriate places, or hump her leg, or something. No, Severus, no. Stop thinking about her legs, dammit. Stop thinking about mating in connection with her.

The music finally came to an end. The students started cheering and applauding. Emmy bowed to the High Table, to the students, and then summoned her veil back. She wrapped it around her, and swept out of the Hall, with Chang and Li in her wake. "Don't worry, Severus," the Headmaster muttered in his ear. "I understand that there are to be two acts." Snape let out a slow breath. Another act. Another eternity of pretending that he was unaffected by Emmy Vector. What did I ever do to deserve this kind of torture?

End of Chapter 18