An Unlikely Savior ~ (Edit) COMPLETED

Chapter 41 ~ The Dance

Snape’s appearance at the ball got the students’ tongues wagging quite a bit as he danced with his daughter. They all knew who he was, because of the history books and because of the recent disclosure of Eileen’s real parentage.

”No wonder she was magically conceived,” Scorpius’ date Madeline said maliciously. “Look at her father. He’s ghastly! No witch with eyes would come near him.”

Scorpius frowned at her, his gray eyes cold.

”He was the Headmaster of Slytherin, and a hero, Madeline. Have some respect,” he said to her, clearly displeased.

In her jealousy, Madeline had forgotten that Snape had been the Head of Slytherin house for many years and considered the consummate Slytherin by all who followed. She reddened and didn’t say anything else about him or Eileen.

The waltz ended and Snape bowed to Eileen as she curtsied, then kissed her hand, remembering how often he had done that when she was a little girl. Eileen smiled up at him.

”Thanks, dad,” she said softly.

”My pleasure, Eileen,” he replied as Alsop politely took her hand, and handed Minerva off to Snape again.

”What is this? Musical partners?” Minerva complained as the next waltz came on.

But, she looked pleased.

Taking Alsop and Rose’s lead, a number of other students joined in the waltzing. They weren’t all perfect dancers, but definitely in the spirit of things.

Snape and Minerva returned to the staff table, the Potions master deciding to stay just a little longer.

Eileen and Alsop left the floor when a polka came on, Eileen absolutely refusing to bounce around the Great Hall like an idiot, despite Alsop’s pleading.

”You’d dance to anything,” she hissed as she walked toward the table.

”I’m just a dancing fool,” he agreed.

They returned to the table to see Hugo chowing down on a huge pile of glazed chicken wings. Eileen blinked at the sheer amount of food on the boy’s plate. He seemed to be inhaling the meat off the bone. He’d insert a wing into his mouth, move it around a bit, then extract an almost pristine and meatless bone.

“You’re going to choke to death one day, Hugo,” Lily said, looking at him with distaste.

”I’m a growing wizard,” he replied around a bone. “I need a lot of energy.”

Eileen just shook her head as Alsop went for more punch.

”Eileen, you looked beautiful on the dance floor,” Lily said to her cousin dreamily. “I can’t wait until I’m old enough to waltz. Was that your father?”

Eileen blushed a little at the witch’s compliment.

”Yes. That’s my father. He taught me to waltz when I was very little. We used to dance together all the time,” she replied.

”At balls?”

”No. Just at home and in the shop. This was the first time we danced together in public.”

Lily let out a wistful sigh.

”I wish my father would dance with me,” she said softly. “But he doesn’t waltz. Mum dances with me. She doesn’t waltz either.”

Eileen looked at Lily and realized she was lucky to have her father. It was rather sad that Lily’s dad didn’t take out the time to dance with his daughter.

”I still say waltzing is for old people,” Hugo interjected as he polished off his last chicken wing in record time.

Eileen smirked at him.

”So what kind of dances do you do, Hugo?” she asked.

Hugo wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin and let out a satisfied sigh before he answered.

”I just dance. The music just has to be good. Not that old stuff,” he replied.

Alsop came back with punch and joined them. He sat down next to Eileen.

”We’re a hit,” Alsop told her. “You should have heard all the witches complimenting my dancing while I was at the punch table. I could hardly get away from them.”

”Sounds like you’re the hit, Alsop,” Eileen replied, narrowing her eyes at him a little. So, he was surrounded by fawning witches, was he? Well, he could have them.

”Ah, that’s not true, Eileen. You were the one that made me look good,” he replied softly. “You dance like an angel.”

Eileen felt the flush rise, turning her face and neck deep crimson as Lily sighed and Hugo said, “Blech!” out loud.

Ew. Mushy stuff.

”I’m no angel, Alsop Potter,” she retorted sharply in an attempt to hide how pleased she was, looking out over the floor.

”You don’t need to say that twice,” Alsop agreed, all the times she’d hexed him coming to mind. Still, he couldn’t imagine her not being in his world.

They watched a few more dances.

”Hey, there’s Rose,” Hugo said, pointing.

Rose was awkwardly dancing a fox trot with a fifth year Gryffindor, her hair bouncing as they made their rounds, stepping on each others’ feet and laughing.

”I’d be crying with all that foot-stomping,” Eileen muttered as she watched the ridiculous display. But it was clear Rose was having fun.

Then, some more modern dance music came on and Hugo bounded out of his chair.

”At last!” he cried, grabbing Lily’s hand and yanking her out of her chair unceremoniously as nearly all the students headed for the dance floor. “Let’s go, Lily!”

He dragged his cousin off into the crowd.

Alsop looked at Eileen.

”So, are you having a good time?” he asked the witch, who nodded.

”Actually, I am, Alsop. I’m glad I came,” she replied.

”I’m glad you came, too. You’re my first real date, you know. I never asked anyone to the ball before. I was waiting for you.”

”Oh, Alsop. You’re so full of it,” Eileen replied, coloring again. Damn, she was blushing a lot tonight.

Alsop looked at her seriously.

”I’m not. Years from now, when I’m an old man, I’ll be able to look back and say I attended my first ball with the most beautiful witch at Hogwarts,” he said softly, his brown eyes full of affection.

”And the most dangerous,” he added, grinning wickedly.

”Alsop, I am not the most beautiful witch at Hogwarts and you know it,” Eileen told him.

”To me you are, Eileen. The smartest and most beautiful witch I know,” he told her soberly.

A heavy silence fell between them, Eileen feeling all tight inside as if something wanted to break out of her. She couldn’t stand it. She stood up quickly.

”Come on, Alsop, let’s go dance,” she said, hoping that the activity would help make the feeling go away.

He looked up at her, then stood up, too.

”All right. Let’s go,” he said, Eileen leading the way.

The dance floor was full of dancing, bouncing gyrating students. Alsop and Eileen joined them, Alsop dancing animatedly. Eileen had a kind of cool groove going on, swaying to the music rhythmically, almost lazily.

Suddenly, Hugo and Lily were next to them. Eileen’s eyes went round as saucers as she saw Lily gyrating sexily and bouncing her bum. She certainly didn’t dance like a little girl.

Alsop saw Eileen’s shocked look and grinned.

”Lily dances like mum,” he explained. “Dad hates it.”

”My father would have a heart attack,” Eileen replied as Lily swung her hair around her head wildly.

Apparently, Lily’s mum had it going on.

Hugo was bouncing around just as wildly, a big smile on his face as he crashed into other students on occasion. He looked at Eileen’s cool sway.

”Come on, Eileen! Shake it a little,” he said, shaking his own bum.

Eileen laughed. She couldn’t help it.

”I’m fine, Hugo,” she told her brother. Suddenly, her hands were grasped by Lily’s.

”Come on, Eileen! Shake it! Don’t be outdanced by first years! Wind your hips like this!”

Lily did a provocative little wind, Eileen staring at her, but still doing her little sway.

”Come on, Eileen!” Lily pressed, jerking Eileen this way and that as she danced about.

Eileen started to become a bit more animated, just to keep her arms from being pulled out of their sockets.

”Oh, yeah, that’s it, Eileen,” Alsop encouraged, dancing behind her. Now, she was surrounded and had to keep up. She began dancing in earnest.

Rose was on the dance floor as well, watching Eileen dance with Hugo, Alsop and Lily. She was smiling. Rose had never seen Eileen smile like that before. They all seemed to be having such a good time, handing Eileen off to each other and making her dance.

She was dancing with a fourth year Hufflepuff, but—her family looked as if they were having such a good time. James and Albus were steadily dancing with their dates, so weren’t much fun. She had butterflies in her stomach as she fought with herself. She wanted to have fun, too.

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The music changed, and a very old Muggle American song came on with a great beat. Hugo, Eileen, Alsop and Lily all renewed their dancing, rotating in a circle now and having a great time.

That was it. Rose wasn’t going to be left out. Determinedly, she left her stunned partner and walked over to the group, stopping directly in front of Eileen, who stopped dancing and frowned back at her.

Hugo, Lily and Alsop stopped dancing as well, all holding their breaths as the sisters confronted each other. Around them, everyone else was dancing. Then, Rose started to move, swaying to the music, challenge in her brown eyes as she looked at Eileen as if daring her to do something.

”It’s a dance-off!” Hugo suddenly said. “Dance, Eileen! Dance!”

Eileen looked at Hugo in shock, then back at Rose, whose face had a taunting expression.

”You can out fly me, but I know you can’t out dance me,” she hissed.

”Dance, Eileen,” Alsop said in a low voice. “Don’t let her just wal—dance all over you.”

Rose began to dance in earnest, circling Eileen. Hugo and Lily started dancing again, too, as did Alsop. Eileen watched Rose circle her once more, then started dancing herself. And it was on.

The two sisters danced around each other as if they were dueling, Hugo letting out whoops of encouragement as they all joined in, bouncing, shaking and shimmying. Eileen let loose and really started dancing, facing Rose, a smirk on her face as the sisters danced, imitating each others’ moves, shifting back and forth, each trying to get the upper hand. Alsop was absolutely delighted, as was Lily and Hugo. Eileen and Rose were interacting and having fun while doing it.

From the staff table, Snape watched soberly as Eileen danced with her siblings and relatives. Seeing his daughter this way, with others who shared either the same blood or were related by marriage had a profound effect on him. He’d never seen her so animated. She had other people now, and as he watched her dance, he realized that the feeling welling up inside him was relief.

One of Snape’s main fears was that something would happen to him, and Eileen would be left alone in the world. He knew himself the world could be a lonely place. Although he had raise Eileen to be strong and self-sufficient, he worried that she was too much like him. That she might shun others and end up just as alone as he was.

But now, he knew that wouldn’t happen. Maybe it was a good thing the truth came out. A good thing that she knew she had a family, and that family was accepting of her.

The dark wizard rose. It was time to go. He’d seen all he needed to see and his cold heart was warmed. Perhaps, he did need to sit down with Hermione and work things out with her. It was clear Eileen needed to mingle with her family. Odessa was right. Her world had gotten much bigger. She needed to embrace it.

Snape said his goodbyes to the staff, took one more look at Eileen, then departed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a more thoughtful and slightly wiser man.

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The night went by quickly, the teenagers dancing and having a wonderful time together, Rose even joining them at the table, although she didn’t talk much. But, she was smiling a lot, and Eileen smiled more than she could remember as they ate and laughed together.

The night wound down and everyone went their separate ways, Alsop walking Eileen through the dungeons to Slytherin house. They stopped outside the wall.

”Um, I had a great time, tonight, Eileen,” Alsop said a bit nervously. “The best time—“

His words failed him as he looked at Eileen. He swallowed nervously.

”I had a good time, too, Alsop,” Eileen said softly, feeling a little awkward.

”Well, I’m glad. So, um, this is good night,” Alsop said, running his finger around his collar.

”Yes, good night,” Eileen repeated, feeling oddly formal.

Alsop stared at her, unsure of what to do. He knew he was supposed to kiss her goodnight, but this wasn’t like darting in and stealing a kiss. She was supposed to kiss him back, and he didn’t want to press her. He started to turn away.

Suddenly, he felt Eileen grasp his shoulder and pull him back toward her, the witch pressing her lips against his rather hard and desperately. Shocked, he closed his eyes and let her kiss him, both frightened and elated as the contact softened and became sweeter. A sense of euphoria washed over him as Eileen Snape gave him his first real kiss of her own volition. Suddenly, the pressure was gone and there was a sliding noise. He stood there, his eyes still closed and lips still puckered.

”Good night, Alsop,” Eileen's voice said softly, and then there was another sliding noise. Alsop opened his eyes.

Eileen was gone.

He stood there blinking for a moment, staring at the empty space before him. Then he slowly smiled and tilted his top hat at a rakish angle and began jauntily walking up the dungeon corridor. He did a little happy hop, clicking his heels together as he headed back to Ravenclaw house, feeling as if his entire world had become just a little bit brighter.

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A/N: And that’s the end of the ball. Fun chapter to write. The song Rose and Eileen danced to was "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar. Now, on to the holidays and Hermione. Thanks for reading. ***