Three Dances for Patrick Wren
The Winter Ball approached. The Sixth Years in NEWT Defence completed their oral presentations one by one. Gillian did hers and received an Acceptable. She was impatient that Liam and Sadie spent hours each week working on their project. “Just give your presentation and be done with it!” she said.
“I don’t want to be done with it,” said Sadie. “And, an Acceptable is just not acceptable to me.”
Liam meanwhile, read passage after passage about spells and curses, but he could draw no conclusions about whether his stinging curse could be considered Dark Magic. He and Sadie had studied the autopsy report of the acromantula Gregor had given them.
“It’s amazing about the Madagascan Dragon venom,” said Sadie. “It’s like the dragon herself fought off the spider!”
“But, my stinging spell, the one I used on Kane, didn’t have that venom in it, did it?”
“No,” said Sadie. “It would have killed him if it did. But you didn’t use the wand that time, as I recall. You used your finger. When you fought with the spider, you used the wand.”
“At first, I used my finger,” said Liam. “It wasn’t strong enough that way.”
“Right. And then, you summoned the Dragon Wand, it took your curse and not just amplified it, but modified it somehow.”
“How the heck does a wand modify a spell on its own?”
“That is a very good question,” said Sadie. “Let’s take it to Professor Sauergrass.”
They met with Sauergrass during office hours on the Monday morning before the Winter Ball and talked through their research with them. Sauergrass took particular interest in Liam’s stinging spell, which he used without a wand against Cyrus Kane, and with the Dragon Wand against the acromantula.
“The purpose of a wand is to enhance the inherent magic of the wizard,” said Sauergrass. “That’s why Wren’s stinging curse, when applied without a wand, was a painful irritant to his victim, but when he added the amplification of the wand, it became deadly force.”
“But the stinging curse in the first instance could not have involved Madagascan Dragon venom,” said Sadie.
“I agree,” said Sauergrass. “The wand must have transformed the curse in some way. The ‘why’ is easy enough – it acted to save the life of its chosen holder. How did it do it? That’s the question.
“It seems like your projects are interconnected,” said Sauergrass. “Is there Dark Magic in that wand of Wren’s, in the way it was constructed? If so, is the transformation of Wren’s stinging curse now considered Dark Magic?”
Sauergrass was sitting at his desk. He leaned back in his chair, with his hands brought together as if in prayer. “Fortunately, this is a NEWT class. We welcome open-ended research projects. Deadlines are not nearly the concern that they are at the Ordinary Wizarding Level. Of course, at some point, you will have to present your findings for me to assess, but we need not stick to an arbitrary deadline.”
He took a scrap of parchment and wrote upon it a name. “This is a colleague of mine. His field is wandmaking, and he has reverse engineered a few of Stilgrevsen’s wands to see how they work. His findings are in obscure wizarding journals usually found only at universities. If Hogwarts does not carry any of his studies, I will write to him and see what he will give us.”
He gazed steadily at the two students and added, “Now that I am granting you this extension and am offering you this lead, I expect in the end an Outstanding presentation.”
“That’s what we’ll give you, Professor,” said Liam. Sadie nodded vigorously.
The dance drew closer. Ben and Patrick and their friends had divvied up the girls between them. Each boy had committed to giving at least one of the girls a dance during the slow songs. Though some were shy about sharing who their pick was, Patrick made each of them tell. He wanted to make sure that every girl had a partner, and that there wasn’t two boys angling for the same girl.
Both Matt and Tim wanted to dance with Ava, for she was pretty and not as intimidating as Alyssa. Patrick settled matters by flipping a coin. Matt called for “Ship!” and got it right. He would go first, but he would dance with another girl for the second slow song so that Tim could have a chance with Ava.
“If there’s a third slow song,” said Patrick, “let the girl decide.”
Patrick had announced his two picks – Alyssa and Bell – but the idea that there might be a third slow song during the evening intrigued him. One morning, in the break between their first two classes, he spoke to Benedict about it.
“What if I asked Lara Guishar to dance,” said Patrick.
“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” said Ben.
“Why not? My brother is taking his time coming around to her. I should squeeze in a dance with her while I have the chance.”
“Lara isn’t an ordinary witch,” said Ben. “You need to be careful around her.”
“You’ve hung out with her,” pressed Patrick.
“Yes, and we’ve become good friends. But the whole time, she wanted me by her side so that I could help her save Pauline.”
Ben’s voice became earnest. “When Lara looks at you, she can see your soul. She touches your hand, and your whole life, past, present and future, is right there for her to see. Your brother is caught up in her fate, but you aren’t. Stay out of it.”
Patrick shrugged off the rejection as if it meant nothing to him. “What about a Sixth Year girl in general? You think I could pull it off? If I asked one of them, do you think they would say yes?”
Benedict smiled. “If they didn’t already have someone they were dancing with, they might say yes to you. Depends on the girl, I guess. You fancy asking Freya’s sister?”
Patrick made a face, and the two boys laughed.
The night of the ball arrived. The young boys put on clean, pressed shirts and their best ties. Liam inspected the young Hufflepuffs before they left the common room, and once in the Entrance Hall, he gave the young Gryffindors a look over as well. Ben and Patrick wore sports jackets, while the other boys wore wool jumpers. They looked nervously over at the girls, dressed in green and red, gold and silver like so many Christmas baubles.
Pauline had slept in and spent the afternoon sitting in a chair while Tess did her hair. Yet, standing in the Entrance Hall, a weariness took her. She slumped against Philip and said, “I want to dance with you so badly! But I’m so tired, I can hardly stand.” She shivered, and her silky green dress shimmered in the torchlight.
Philip took off the coat of his tuxedo and put it over her bare shoulders. “This will keep you warm.”
“Oh, thank you. Once we get inside, it will be warm enough, but out here by the door, it’s quite cold.”
“Keep it on as long as you need,” he said. “And don’t worry about the dancing. We can sit and watch if that’s all you’re up for.”
She sunk her head into his shoulder. “I do like watching the other couples. I guess there will be other balls.”
The doors opened, and the students entered the hall. The table were gone, and a wide square of parquet wood had been laid over the stone floor. A disco ball hung suspended in the air, slowly twirling and casting tiny glints of light downward. Fairies floated and darted from one end of the hall to the other.
The music started; a loud pulsing drum beat offset by shimmering keyboards. The older students began dancing right away, while the younger ones spread out along the walls to watch. Philip led Pauline across the dance floor to the wall opposite the door. He found a chair, which he offered to Pauline after waving his wand over it, adding cushioning and a footrest. Pauline sat down while he secured a chair for himself.
“Look!” said Pauline. “Liam and Gillian are already dancing. As are Larry and Alma. And those two Ravenclaws. I didn’t know they were a couple.”
“I’m interested to see how the younger students fare,” said Patrick. “Especially Patrick Wren. Liam asked, since you weren’t feeling well enough to dance, if I might keep an eye on him.”
“The menage a quatre are dancing together, I see,” said Pauline.
“Yes, young Took has his hands full,” said Philip.
“I wonder how long he can keep all three girls beside him tonight.”
The Winter Ball featured a DJ instead of a band. It was the same man as the previous year. He was dressed in the same bright white tuxedo, which contrasted well with his dark skin and long black dreadlocks. He had just selected the first song when Patrick came up to him. “How many slow songs are you gonna do tonight?”
“I go with the flow, man,” said the DJ. “When the moment is right, I slow it down and dim the lights.”
“Great, but how many slow songs do you typically do?” pressed Patrick.
The man raised his hands. “Maybe two, maybe three. I gotta go with the flow, with the moment.”
Patrick returned to his friends. “We got two, maybe three slow songs,” he said. “You guys ready with your picks?” The others nodded.
Patrick’s eyes, sweeping the hall, settled on Tess Covenshire, dancing with a Seventh Year Ravenclaw. She was wearing a black strapless dress. Patrick nudged Matt. “Duff! Check out that guy dancing with Tess Covenshire. The brute’s looking clear down her dress!”
“I would, too, if I were in his shoes,” said Matt. “Wouldn’t you?”
Patrick shrugged. Across the hall, Pauline was making a similar observation about Tess’ dance partner to Philip.
For the first forty-five minutes, the young boys loitered against the wall near the circles of dancing girls. As the moment for the first slow song drew nigh, Benedict lost his hold on the Little Coven. Spencer Osgood cut in and swept Alyssa away. At the same moment, Aiden Thompson came from the other side and took Freya by the hand. Meriko smirked but kept dancing. At the opening bar of the first slow song of the night, she stepped close and set her hands on Benedict’s shoulders. He set hers on her narrow waist of her black velvet dress.
Philip nudged Pauline. “Look! Patrick Wren is leading his troop onto the pitch.” With choreographed ease, each boy went up to his chosen girl and asked her to dance. With Alyssa spoken for, Patrick moved quickly and decisively to Belladonna. Matt asked Ava, while, true to his word, Theo asked Ellie. The young dancers’ movements were stiff and awkward. They had none of the easy, flowing motions of the older students.
“Look at them all,” said Pauline wistfully. “They look so sweet, dancing together like that.”
Meriko and Benedict were not so awkward around each other as the other Fourth Years. Benedict held her close while Meriko set her head on his shoulder. Her dark eyes gazed out at the other couples.
“Who is that dancing with Ellie Boissard?” she asked.
“Theo Greer.”
“And Patrick is dancing with your sister.”
“I saw.”
“Where did Freya run off to?” Ben rotated Meriko so that she could see Freya dancing with Aiden. “Does it make you jealous, the way they are together?”
“No,” said Ben. She gazed up at him, disbelieving, but his face was stoic. “How can I act jealous when I’m dancing with you?”
She made a pout with her mouth, emphasizing her burgundy lipstick. “We should split them up for a bit. They’re getting a little too close for our comfort.” She meant, hers and Alyssa’s comfort. “There are too many secrets between them. Before the next song, I’ll cut in with Thompson and give you a dance with Freya.”
“That’s fine with me.”
Patrick was likewise making plans. He had a pleasant dance with Belladonna, but once the song ended, he said, “I’ll see you around,” and went back with his boys. The others came to his side, except for Ben, who was still with Meriko, and Theo, who stayed with Ellie.
“Who’s the snake dancing with Alyssa?” Patrick asked.
“He’s a Sixth Year, I think,” said Matt.
“I wonder what he’ll do if I cut in on him.”
“You’ve got just as much right to dance with Alyssa as he does,” said Tim. “More, since she’s in our year.”
“If you go up to him, and he gives you flack, we got your back,” said Matt.
This was all the encouragement Patrick needed. He went up to Spencer, nodded in greeting and then deftly slipped between him and Alyssa. Spencer didn’t argue but moved on to another girl.
Though the beat was still strong and fast, Alyssa reached out her arms to Patrick as if it were a slow song. “Are you rescuing me?” she asked.
“That bloke wasn’t giving you a hard time, was he?”
Alyssa laughed. “No, he was fine. I just don’t know him very well. He’s never talked to me before.”
“He’s older than you are,” said Patrick. “He should stick to girls his own age.”
She laughed again. “I wonder if you’ll feel the same in a few years, when the young girls start looking inviting and us peers are all old hat.”
“You’re a long way from being an old hat,” said Patrick, winning for himself a beaming smile.
The DJ played the second slow song. Alyssa stepped close to Patrick and allowed his hands on her hips. Aiden held Meriko with a firm, regal touch, while Freya and Ben danced close, her head on his shoulder. “Is this alright that I cut in on Aiden?” asked Ben. “It was Meriko’s idea that we switch partners.”
“Mmmm-hmm,” said Freya. “When I started up with Aiden, I thought the worst of it would come from Alyssa, but it’s Meriko for some reason that’s taking offence. Like, I should have cleared it with them ahead of time. Now, she wants to complicate things between me and Aiden, but it won’t work. Aiden’s committed and he needs me. He said so.”
At the end of the song, Aiden took Freya back, but Meriko was dancing with another of the older boys. Patrick and Alyssa were still dancing together. Ben had enjoyed his moments with Meriko and Freya, but Alyssa still held his heart. He wanted to hold her, and he hoped there would be one slow song still left. He went up to them said to Patrick, “It’s my turn now.”
“Oh, is it?” Patrick was charged up and ready for a challenge, but Alyssa went immediately to Ben, so he backed down. He returned to the wall where the rest of the young boys loitered.
“Everyone getting their dances in?” he asked. There were nods all around. “Is there anyone still dancing besides Took?”
“Theo’s still with Ellie,” said Matt.
“They’ve been dancing this whole time?” asked Patrick.
Matt shook his head. “No. They went to the punch table for a bit, and they’ve been outside. I think they’re just talking.”
Patrick nodded. “Let ‘em be, then.” He surveyed the dance floor. There was a popular love song that the DJ hadn’t played yet. Patrick guessed he was saving it for the final song of the night. He looked through the crowd and found Tess Covenshire still dancing with the Seventh Year Ravenclaw boy. His competitive fire still burned, and now it was focused on the girl of all his childhood dreams.
“I’m going for it,” he said aloud. “You only live once.”
The Ravenclaw boy was much taller than he was, but Patrick Wren was used to holding his own against his brother Liam. He was not intimidated. “Hey,” he said, “mind if I cut in for a bit?”
Tess laughed at his bravado. “Patrick! How nice of you to come and see me.” She took his hand and let him away from the other boy. “I got to dance with your brother last year, did he tell you?”
“No,” said Patrick.
“He’s otherwise occupied tonight.”
“Yeah.” Patrick was finding it difficult to speak. In her heels, and with her hair done up elaborately, Tess was a good six centimeters taller than he was. Right before his eyes, above the line of her black strapless dress, were acres of creamy white skin. Her dark brown eyes watched him, a cruel smirk on her pink lips. She was testing his will and fortitude. He felt, at any moment, she would walk away and start dancing with another boy.
Just then, the DJ began playing that popular love ballad, “The Girl from Beauxbatons,” just as Patrick had predicted. His confidence rushed back, and he said casually, “It’s hard to catch a girl like you between boys. Thought I’d squeeze in a dance while you’re still available.”
Her smile turned warm, and she said, “I guess this is your lucky night.” She took a step closer to him and allowed his hands on her hips. She rested her hands on his shoulders, her fingers lightly intertwined behind his neck.
It was more challenging than he thought it would be, keeping his eyes up on her face while just beyond the tip of his nose, creamy curves hung and dark shadows beckoned. But gazing into the face of Tess Covenshire was no hardship. He thought back to the first time she had smiled at him, when he was ten years old, waiting at the station with his mother for Liam to get off the train. He didn’t even know her name at that point, but he was convinced that she liked him.
The song went on and on – the DJ was playing the full version rather than the truncated one from the video the students watched on Witchter or heard playing softly in the shops at Hogsmeade. His self-control faltered, and he took a long look down into that shadowy crevice, but the dress revealed nothing to his eyes.
Patrick didn’t know, but this was an Andromeda dress which would allow certain paramours a glimpse of dark pink, but Tess had set her dress firmly on the “no peek” setting as soon as Patrick approached her. When he looked up again, she was smirking and giggling at him.
Finally, the song faded out, and the lights came on. “Thanks,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” She gazed knowingly back at him. “I might come ‘round again next year.”
She laughed aloud. “Good night, Patrick.” With a wave, she slipped into the crowd and was gone.