ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔
- 𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒊
chapter twelve

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

THE HALL ERUPTS in cheers as they part for the four champions and their dates. Lyra and Erik step back with their arms interlocked and their sides squished against each other because of all the students flanking them. Lyra has to force herself not to get nervous at the close proxmity and focuses on the champions.

Her date wears a bright red shirt with a leather belt as well as a matching fur lined cape attached to a leather strap. A black leather belt with the Durmstrang crest on the belt buckle decorates his mid section and he wears brown breeches and black leather boots. Erik really looks handsome.

He lets out a whooping cheer for Viktor whilst Lyra smiles at Harry, Hermione and Pavarti. Hermione meets her eyes and the girls share an excited look, the atmosphere coming alive with pride for the representives of the three schools.

The first dance of the night goes to the champions so everyone forms a large circle around the dance floor that had been enchanted to look like ice. In fact, the entire Great Hall looks like a magical realm of winter. It's beautiful.

Erik leans down to whisper in her ear. "I feel bad for him. Poor lad can't dance."

Lyra looks at Erik in confusion and the tan boy nods forward. She follows his eyes and winces when Harry stumbles and almost knocks both himself and Pavarti off their feet. His date hurriedly catches him and shoves him to stand up, looking around with a nervous smile. Harry just continues to stumble as the other three dancing pairs glide around him.

Oh Harry.

"I mean." Erik chuckles softly, casting her an amused look. "Who can't dance? Am I right?" He wraps his arm around her waist.

"Right.." She smiles nervously, looking ahead stiffly with terrified eyes. I bloody can't. "Um, why don't we get something to drink?" Lyra moves away from him. She smiles brightly, hoping he doesn't catch on to her anxiousness regarding dancing. Maybe she can hold it off for a while.

Erik smiles charmingly at her. His eyes stare at her with a hypnotizing gaze that makes Lyra blush. "Whatever my date wants, she gets."

Erik takes her hand in his and begins to pull her to the drinks table. Suddenly, her ankle bends in her heels and she yelps before standing up straight again. Erik heard her noise of suprise and gives her a unsure look over his shoulder, to which Lyra just shakes her head at him to not ask.

Damn these heels

"Lyra!"

Lyra turns her head to find who called her name and is pleasantly suprised to see Daphne. The blonde Slytherin waves at her to come over with a smile and Lyra finds herself smiling back. "Hold on. I want to introduce you to a friend!" She looks at him. "Is that okay?"

Erik looks ahead at Daphne then back at Lyra and nods. "Yeah. Let's go. We'll get drinks after."

"Thanks." Lyra appreciates that he did want to meet people she knows. She leads him towards Daphne, who stands to the side away from the crowd. "Hi Daphne. You look pretty in yellow."

Daphne smiles. "Thank you! You look beautiful." She hugs Lyra in a formal greeting.

Lyra didn't expect the hug but returns it, feeling Daphne's friendly nature come off of her in waves. Directly behind Daphne, two familar figures approach. Lyra bites back a audiable groan when she locks eyes with him.

"Thanks..." She trails off and pulls away to step back towards her date.

Blaise gives her a tiny smile in greeting before wrapping his arm around Daphne's waist. Theodore eyes her, standing silently on Daphne's other side. Lyra ignores him and wraps a hand around Erik's arm. Theodore's rolls his eyes at her. Mature, Nott. Really mature.

"Daphne, this is Erik, my date." She says. "Erik, this is my friend Daphne and her boyfriend, Blaise." She gestures to each person.

Daphne looks momentarily confused at Lyra's introduction, for some reason, before brushing it off and smiling at Erik. Blaise gives the Durmstrung student a nod in greeting, eyes jumping across the boy's appearance.

Lyra forces herself to introduce Theodore. "And this is Theodore." She sighs, his name sounding exhausting for her to even say. "He's my partner in Potions class-"

"And her close friend." Theodore suddenly boosts happily and Lyra's eyes widen. "I don't know why she didn't introduce me as that first." He laughs. "It's great to finally meet you Erin." He shakes the boy's hand with a large smirk.

Erik's smile falters slightly but it recovers. "It's Erik, er, actually."

"How unfortunate."

If this was a cartoon, steam would be escaping Lyra's ears and nostrils from how angry she is. She glares at him, mentally cussing him out.

Blaise smirks in amusement and Daphne awkardly purses her lips. Couples begin to migrate to the dance floor to waltz and Daphne notices, dragging her boyfriend towards the area. "It was nice to meet you Erin!"

"It's Erik." He huffs but Daphne is too far away to hear him.

Lyra freezes when a larger hand takes her own and interwines their fingers, the cold chill of rings telling her all she needs to know. Before she can let go, her body is unexpectantly but gently pulled into Theodore's side.

"If you'll excuse us, Lyra promised me the first dance of the night."

Her eyes squint. "The hell I did!" His use of her full name goes over her head at his audacity to lie.

Erik's eyes widen. "What is──"

"Yes, I'm glad you remember."

Theodore doesn't wait a second and tugs Lyra onto the dance floor in one swift pull. It's speed astonished her and Lyra had to hold onto his arm to not fall.

"Just one dance...then." Erik blinks like a confused puppy, looking around to find a girl to dance with.

Now smack dab in the middle of the floor, Lyra is livid. "What on earth has gotten into you?" She swats his hands off her waist and lets go of his arm once she realizes she's touching him. "Are you mental?" Her eyes are wide with disbelief.

"If you don't want to dance with me, you're free to walk away." Theodore shrugs. "But it looks like everyone's about to start."

Lyra observes how couples have taken different spots around her and Theodore, ready for the music to start. She begins to panic now, not wanting to do this because she knows she's about to embarrass herself. She had a bloody plan! She'd distract Erik with conversation until all the slow dances were done.

But some people who aren't dancing form a thin circle around them and Lyra feels like their eyes are judging every movement she makes.

She's petrified.

Warm hands wraps around her waist and Lyra's eyes snap to meet Theodore's. She is speechless with nerves so she can't protest when he brings her body closer to his and adjusts their hands so they are in the waltz position, keeping eye contact the entire time.

"Nott." Her voice shakes. "I ─ can't dance."

Lyra doesn't care how vulnerable she seems, het heart is about to explode.

"I know. Listen to my voice and don't look down."

"Theodore." She stresses.

"I got you Lyra." He stares into her soul. "Think of it as just a set of intructions from a Potions book. Follow my every word." He whispers. "Step one, move forward with your left foot when the music starts."

Maybe it's the anxiety creeping up her spine. Maybe it's the spontaneous trust she is putting on him. But she steps closer to him so that their are chest to chest and they breath the same air.

The music begins and she does the right move, Theodore stepping back in reponse like a ripple effect. He whispers the steps and she instensely memorizes them.

"Step right. Step back. Step left. Step forward."

Lyra begins to dance accurately and her rhythm is matching that of the waltz. Despite her giddiness as succeeding, her eyes stay locked onto Theodore's, remembering to not look down and to do each step on time. But the intensity does get too much too soon and she allows herself relief by dropping her gaze to his tie.

Without her seeing, Theodore smiles. Lyra is a fast learner, he knew that when taking her to dance.

The music goes higher in tone and he spins her under his arm like everyone else. Her dress unravels at the bottom in a dark blue sky of stars before she is turned back to him and into his arms again.

Lyra can't stop her smile from showing, never having been spun while dancing before. She's never even danced this well before tonight. "I'm doing it." She lets out an excited murmer, meeting his dark green eyes again.

Theodore's smile matches hers, truly happy to see her happy. "Don't jinx yourself, Lovegood. I want to leave this ball with all my toes." He whispers teasingly back, not being able to help himself.

"Just when i think i can tolerate you, you talk and i'm back to square one."

"Excuse me darling but who just taught you how to dance? Hm?"

"I have no idea." She raises her eyebrows. "I'm just a natural."

"A natural pain. Ow!"

"Oops."

He narrows his eyes.

Lyra is suddenly dipped in his arms. Her breath hitches and her hands tighten their grip, thinking he's going to drop her. But his hand and arms support her weight perfectly and she is held with assurance. Her eyes go from the ground over her shoulder to his face in suprise.

"Oops." He returns with a small smile.

She scoffs in disbelief but the tiny smile tugging in her lips surrenders her amusement to him. She opens her mouth but is silenced when he brings her back to stand in one swift move. Standing up straight, their faces are close.

Breathless, she narrows her eyes. "You could have dropped me."

"Come on." He moves them back into the dance pattern, eyes above her head before dropping to meet her blues again. Fondess, his eyes convey in a strange twinkle that has Lyra's stomach doing backflips. "You liked it."

"I would never." She finds herself firing back without a thought.

Theodore just smirks and bites his tongue on his reply. The stubborn blush on her cheeks contradicts her words and she knows it.

"You frustrate me, Lovegood."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yes."

"Well, since you know everything." He whispers in her ear. "You should know how much I like you in blue tonight."

"Nott." She lets out in a scandelous hiss. "What did you take tonight? Herknot Herb?"

The confused look on her face makes him roll her eyes. When will this girl understand?

"You think I am not in my right mind." It is a statement, not a question.

"You just complimented me, that is the only possible conclusion."

They step to the side in snyc before stepping back, the teenagers forgetting about everyone else in the room as their gazes stay locked in a tension-filled dance of their own.

"Or." He offers. "I really do think you look pretty." The music comes to an end but neither of them pull away. "Take that as you will."

Lyra is stunned into silence and she allows her eyes to take him in for the first time tonight. His parted light brown hair looks so soft and when he tilts his head down just a tinge to stare back at her, some strands separate from the rest and hover over his forehead in the most sinfully angelic way. His eyes are deep and focused, sending sparks through her because it's her who they are stuck on.

"You.." She breaks out of her trance and slowly retracts her hands from him. Lyra doesn't move her eyes from his face. "You...don't look too bad yourself." She clears her throat softly. "Some might say handsome."

She can see from the raise of his eyebrows that he wasn't expecting her to say that. Hell, she wasn't either. But she did and it felt right; speaking her thoughts.

"'Some' meaning, not you right?"

Taking the out, Lyra smirks slightly, ignoring the butterflies going insane in her stomach. "Right."

Lyra and Theodore wait, just looking at the other and prolonging their bizzare moment. When they do part ways to go to separate ends of the hall, avoiding each other's eyes, a similar thought is shared.

He called her pretty. Lyra exhales, taking a quick glance at his figure as he walks away before turning around.

She called him handsome. Theodore turns his head over his shoulder and watches her dress disappear in the sea of people.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Returning to Erik, Lyra expected some questions on his end, speculations even, and she was prepared to put them to rest. But the boy was relaxed when she found him with his three friends, even giving her an ethusiastic kiss on the cheek and a 'hey babe!' to pair it with.

His friends laughed.

She smelt it on all of their breaths.

Grabbing his shoulder and directing his attention to her, Lyra worriedly asks. "Have you been drinking?!"

Erik grins. "Yeah, why? Do you want a sip?" He doesn't waste a second and looks at his equally tipsy friend. "Lukas, gimme the bottle."

Lyra steps away when he shoves it in her direction. "Get that away from me. I don't know what Durmstrung allows but you certainly can not drink here. Put it way, Erik." She sternly tells him, looking both ways to make sure no one saw the alcohol. The trouble these boys would get into would be huge and she can't get mixed up in this mess. When she sees Erik take another swing of the bitter drink she snaps."Hey! Are you listening?"

The anger that fizzeled out when she was dancing returns and it's suprised and who it's aimed at. But the anger curls around her, nonetheless.

"Gosh Erik." One of his friends scoff. "Your girlfriend is such a stick."

"Excuse me?" Lyra whips her head around to look at him and feels satisfaction when the unnamed boy visably flinches at her glare. "Was I talking to you? No. So shut up and understand that I am not his girlfriend." She looks back at Erik, picking up the bottom of her dress. "I'm leaving."

Lyra is unsettled. If she knew Erik was a drinker, she would have never have accepted to be his date. Alcohol has an influence no child or teenager should experience and Lyra was not going to stick around to see it either. Being surrounded by nearly drank boys on a night she wanted to enjoy is not worth staying for.

She quickly makes her exit and ignores Erik's call for her to come back. Walking out of the heated hall and into the chill of the foyer allows the girl to pause and take a breather. Erik didn't even defend her. Good pick, Lyra. She wipes the cheek he kissed with the back of her hand. Gross.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Hermione walks out of the hall after seeing Lyra leave.

She turns to her and sighs. "I don't want to be here anymore." Her arms cross over her chest and her shoulders slump in exhaustion. Tonight was alot. "I'm just going to go to bed. Will you be okay?"

Lyra wouldn't leave if Hermione needed her to stay. But from the way Hermione takes off her heels and huffs, Lyra suspects she won't be staying either.

"Yes I will be when we're in bed. These heels have been torture Lyra."

Lyra smiles and chuckles. "I agree." She takes hers off too so now they stand on stocking-covered feet. The instant relief is amazing. "Come on."

Hermione nods and locks their arms together to begin the journey to Gryffindor Tower. "Are you okay? You looked angry when you left." She looks at Lyra in concern.

They begin to climb the stairs, both girls clutching their heels in their free hands. "I'm fine, I just got into a....thing with Erik." She rolls her eyes. "He's not what I expected.

Hermione hums. "Sorry Ly."

"How was your night with Krum? Don't tell me he's the reason you left." She switches the focus. "I can sock him in the mouth if he upset you."

The brunnette scoldingly hits Lyra's shoulder. "Do not hit anyone Lyra. They aren't worth it. But no, he was actually decent. But I made it clear that I feel platonic feelings towards him after spending the night getting to know him. He took it well."

"Then why did you leave?"

"I didn't see a reason to stay."

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

MOONY SPEAKS !

Old readers, the chapter with the bit on Theodore's father's letter has been edited. That never happened, just so you are aware of that plot not going further.

Anyway, I love this chapter ! How do you feel?

Thank you for reading and please vote.