4:00 P.M., Muggle Studies

The third year Muggle Studies class entered their classroom with a surprise: all the desks were gone. Professor Richardt, in teal dress robes, was standing at the front of the room. The class seated themselves cross-legged on the ground.

“Good afternoon, class,” said Professor Richardt, “Now, I presume you have your partners?”

Everyone nodded. Professor Richardt was a fun, young teacher. She was the teacher the guys had a secret crush on. She called everyone in the class by their first name, and she never gave homework.

“Good, good. Now, I will introduce you to my partner: Alexander Nyder.”

The girls gasped as Alexander walked in. He was what you might call “Tall, tan, and handsome.” He was also ripped; his shirt was tight enough that you could see a nice six-pack. Gwen, being a dedicated girlfriend, restarted the poking match with Remus. He appreciated this; he didn’t have to compare himself with the handsome intruder.

“Now, today we will begin our unit on dance. Unfortunately, we only have enough time to learn one type of ballroom, so we will be learning the tango. Guinevere, Remus, pay attention!” Remus and Gwen stopped suddenly as the whole class stared at them. They grinned sheepishly. “Everyone split into your pairs.”

All 16 students stood up, but they didn’t move much because they were already next to their partners.

“Good, good. Now, I think a change in dress is in order.” With one sweep of her wand, all the girls’ robes changed into a spaghetti strapped dress that was a different color depending on the girl. The boys’ robes turned into nice black suits (very close to tuxedos) with ties to match the color of their partner’s dress. Every tennis shoe was changed into a high heel or a dress shoe. The class gasped.

“I thought you might like them,” said Professor Richardt with a smile. The girls oohed and aahed at each other’s dresses, while the boys stood around awkwardly shifting their weight from foot to foot.

“These dresses are beautiful!” exclaimed Lily, whose dress was a pale gold.

“I know!” said Gwen, who was dressed in a shimmering pale blue.

“I love mine,” said Tara. She was dressed in a deep purple.

“Now, now, class, let’s get to work. Please face your partners,” said Professor Richardt. The partners faced each other. Out of the corner of her eye, Gwen could see a very nervous looking Peter facing Alex (in a light pink dress) to her left. To her right were James and Lily; Lily was watching her feet while biting her lip, and James was watching her with a dreamy expression. Behind Remus were Sirius and Tara. Tara was staring off into space while Sirius fiddled with his purple tie.

“You look beautiful,” whispered Remus.

Gwen smiled. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Everyone look up here,” said Professor Richardt, “while Alexander and I demonstrate the proper ballroom hold. The girl rests her left hand on her partner’s right shoulder, while the boy places his right hand on the small of the girl’s back. The boy must keep his elbow up to support his partner’s arm.” She paused to demonstrate this with Alexander. “The boy’s left hand and the girl’s right hand join together, like so.” The class hastened to follow her instructions. Professor Richardt went through the class correcting the students.

“Very nice. Now that you understand the hold, I will teach you the basic tango step. Now repeat after me: slow...slow...quick, quick, slow.”

"Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow,” the class repeated.

"Excellent. Now, girls, please sit down while I teach the boys their part.” The girls sat down carefully. “Boys, step forward on the left, then step forward on the right. Those are the first two ‘slows.’ Then, step forward on the left, then step to the right on the right foot, and lastly, touch your left foot to your right. Don’t put any weight on it.” She let the boys practice this on their own for a minute, but she stopped them once they started stepping on the girls (Peter). “Practice with me. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Good. Boys, please sit down. Girls, please stand up.” The class followed their teacher’s commands.

"You’re doing well, Remus,” whispered Gwen.

“Thanks,” he whispered back.

“Girls, you go to the back first. Start with the right, then left, then right again, then touch your left to your right. Now, let’s practice. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Good. Now boys, please stand up.”

Gwen leaned over and pulled Remus up. He touched her shoulder lightly and smiled then turned back to Professor Richardt.

“Please face your partners and assume the ballroom hold.” The class did so. “Now, do what I have taught you. But remember, you must look into each other’s eyes. If you watch your feet or your partner’s feet you’ll mess up.”

The class lifted their heads to look at their partners’ eyes. Nervous Peter couldn’t look into Alex’s brown eyes; he had to look at her nose instead. James appeared to be lost in Lily’s green eyes. Sirius and Tara would look into each other’s eyes, and then they would blush and look away. When Gwen’s blue eyes met Remus’ hazel eyes, she seemed to melt at his searching gaze.

“Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow,” said Professor Richardt while her students danced, “Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow.” The couples continued after she stopped talking to get the hang of it. Some were doing very well, but others were very awkward with their steps and had nearly three feet between each other.

“I almost forgot!” said Professor Richardt. She went to the closet and rummaged through for a bit. She came out with a stack of magazines. “The tango is a romantic dance.” She went to the nearest couple and stuck the magazine between them. “You must be so close that the magazine does not fall.” She inserted magazines into the rest of the couples.

Remus looked down at his and Gwen’s and snorted.

“What?” Gwen asked him.

“The Quibbler,” he said.

Gwen grinned, then looked at Peter and had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh.

“What?” Remus asked her.

“Look at Peter.”

It looked like Peter was having a panic attack. He was sweating, and he was taking short, choppy breaths.

Remus chuckled quietly.

“Now, let’s try it again. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Peter, pick that up and try again.”

Peter blushed as he bent over to pick up his fallen magazine. Everyone else was doing well.

“Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Good. Now, the next move is simple. You do the basic step, except that the boy must shift the girl around between the second slow and first quick. Now, face the front. Slow...slow... (quick) quick, quick, slow. See, now you’re ready to go to the side. If you’ve done it right.”

The class looked over at Peter and Alex. Peter was picking up the magazine again. A chuckle swept through the class.

“Let’s go to the side now. Slow...slow... (quick) quick, quick, slow. Now, let’s go to the back and the side without stopping. Slow...slow... (quick) quick, quick, slow. Slow...slow... (quick) quick, quick, slow. Very nice, class. Now, since I know that you’re dying to talk amongst yourselves, and you’ll do it while I try to review with you, I’m going to give you a two minute break.”

The couples immediately dispersed. The Marauders and their partners (except Peter, who was being scolded by Alex for not leading) converged to talk with each other. They all sat down carefully.

“Well, we’re doing well,” said Sirius, “I don’t know about you guys, though. I’ve always thought that Remus would have lead feet.”

The group laughed.

“He’s excellent,” Gwen assured them.

“I hope so,” said Remus, “So, Lily, what do you think of James?”

“He’s not a bad dancer. And he did take it seriously,” said Lily, “Well, until he noticed that our magazine was PlayWizard. Professor Richardt must have gotten it from Alexander.”

“Let me see it,” said Sirius. He grabbed the magazine from Lily and began leafing through it.

Remus attempted to subtly look over Sirius’ shoulder but was caught with a whap on the arm from Gwen. “Don’t even think about it,” she said.

“He can’t help it if he’s curious,” said James.

“He’s never been exposed to this kind of stuff,” said Sirius, still looking through the magazine.

“Can’t you find a better magazine to look through? We got Witch Weekly, why not look through it?” a disgusted Tara asked Sirius.

“We got The Quibbler,” said Remus with a snort.

“Oh, I really want to read The Quibbler,” said Sirius sarcastically.

“Okay, then, if you really want to,” said Gwen. She took the magazine from an unsuspecting Sirius and gave him hers. PlayWizard went back to Lily.

“Hey, I was reading a good article!” said Sirius.

“Tough luck, Padfoot,” said James.

“So, who do you think has it harder, the girls or the boys?” Tara asked the group.

“Girls,” answered Lily and Gwen at the same time the boys answered, “Boys.”

“Why do you think you have it harder?” asked Gwen.

“We have to lead,” said Sirius.

“We’re in heels,” retorted Lily.

“We have to lead girls in heels,” said James with a smirk. Everyone laughed.

“True,” said Gwen.

“It’s not really a bother, though,” said Remus. He turned to Gwen with a smile and held one of her hands. Gwen giggled.

“Traitor,” hissed Sirius.

“He’s turned to the dark side! Padfoot, we have to save him!” said James with fake urgency.

“You’re right!” said Sirius. He snatched the magazine from Lily while James pulled Remus away from Gwen. Sirius stuck the magazine under Remus’ nose.

“Are they referring to the dark side of having a girlfriend?” asked an amused Gwen.

“I guess so,” said Tara.

Sirius held Remus’ hands behind his back, while James opened the magazine for Remus to look at. Remus resisted bravely, turning up his nose and keeping his eyes closed.

“Come on, Moony, we can still save you from commitment and corny lines!” said Sirius.

Lily, Tara, and Gwen were laughing.

“Okay, couples, back on your feet!” said Professor Richardt over the talking. The class quieted down as they stood up.

“I wonder what they have in store for us tonight?” Gwen asked Remus quietly.

“No clue,” he replied.

“Now, class, let’s put the two moves together. I want you to do two basics, then the complete box. Here’s some music to practice to,” said Professor Richardt.

The music turned on, and the couples began dancing. The only stumbling came from an extremely sweaty Peter and an exasperated Alex.

After they finished the combination, Professor Richardt said, “Very nice. You’re all doing very well. I’m going to turn the music back on and let you practice on your own.”

The class exchanged glances with each other as the music turned on.

Peter and Alex attempted to practice, but she got so angry she just sat down. Sirius and Tara were excellent, snapping their heads at exactly the same time. James was leading Lily in a very romantic tango (as romantic as those two moves can be). Remus and Gwen began a meaningful tango, that is, until Remus surprised everyone with hitherto unexpected dance skills and led Gwen through a series of complicated steps and lifts. The class stopped to watch, forming a circle around the pair. They gasped at every lift. Even Professor Richardt and Alexander were watching. Finally, Remus and Gwen stepped out in a shy bow and curtsy respectively.

Professor Richardt turned of the music with a flick of her wand. “That was excellent! How long have you been dancing?” she asked.

“A while,” muttered a blushing Remus.

“I took some lessons before I came here,” said Gwen. She, unlike her partner, was enjoying the attention.

“Well, you did very well. I wish I could have had you as an example couple for the sixth years; they didn’t catch on as quickly as you guys did,” said Professor Richardt.

“Thank you, Professor,” they said.

“Well, I guess now would be a good time to dismiss class. Use the extra time for something meaningful.” She looked at the Marauders, who grinned sheepishly.

“Good bye, Professor,” said the class as they left. As they exited, their clothes returned to normal.

“Leave it to Professor Richardt to let us out early,” said Peter.

“Probably just wants to snog Alexander,” said Sirius.

“Any girl would let a class out early to be with him,” said James, “Did you see those girls hanging by after she dismissed?”

“Speaking of which, Tara and Lily were two of them,” Gwen pointed out.

“And you’re not?” asked Sirius.

“I don’t have to act stupid around a cute guy since I already have one,” replied Gwen coolly.

Remus slipped his right arm around her waist. “Thanks,” he said.

Gwen slipped her arm around his waist. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?” James and Sirius made gagging noises behind the couple's backs.

Tara and Lily ran to catch up. “Gwen, look, I got his autograph!” said Tara, holding up some parchment.

“Me, too!” said Lily, who was holding up another bit of parchment.

“I guess you’ll be hanging those up in our dorm?” asked Gwen.

“Of course!” said Tara, “We even got one for you!”

“No thanks, she doesn’t need it,” said Remus firmly.

Lily and Tara looked to Gwen. “He’s right,” she admitted.

“Oh well,” said Lily.

“I’ll take it,” said Peter hastily.

The others looked at him curiously.

“I just want to make some money off it,” he said.

Sirius clapped him on the back. “You’ve finally learned something, Peter,” he said.

“How to make extra money and get in good with the girls,” said James.

“Thanks,” mumbled Peter.

“Well, we better get to the library,” said Remus.

“You go ahead,” said Lily with a wink to James, “We need to get something from the common room.”

“If you want to work on our surprise, you just have to say so,” said Gwen.

“We want to work on your surprise,” said Sirius bluntly.

“Okay, then we’ll leave you alone,” said Remus.

“See you later!” said Gwen.

The couple walked placidly across the corridor and to the direction of the library. The rest of the group held back to talk.

“Well, are we going to go set it up?” asked Peter impatiently.

“Nah, it’s too early. It needs to be midnight, or something,” said Sirius.

“More romantic,” added Tara.

“Well, we can at least write the notes,” said Lily.

“And risk them finding them?” asked James, “Too risky. I say let’s set it up around eleven, get them over by eleven-thirty, and then they’ll have enough time to get through the challenges and kiss right at midnight.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Tara.

“Honestly, why did we even stay behind?” snorted Sirius.

“Well, I thought we would set it up, or at least practice setting it up,” said Lily defensively.

“That’s not a bad idea,” said James, “We need to make sure it’ll work.”

“Okay, fine,” said Sirius exasperatedly, “We’ll practice setting it up, but we have to take it down so that no one else accidentally walks in on it.”

The group walked down the corridor and towards the Room of Requirement. Sirius seemed to be a bit testy and would snap at just about any comment. But in the end, they managed to get the challenges set up and taken back down. Lily was nearly skipping by the time they got to the library.

“Why are you so happy?” asked Peter.

“They’re just perfect for each other,” said Lily as she attracted the attention of onlookers.

“Evans, everyone is staring at you,” said James. He ruffled his hair and looked at her with concern.

“It just makes me so giddy that they’re going to be closer than ever, and that they’ll finally get their kiss,” said Lily with a huge smile. She stopped skipping and settled to humming an unidentifiable tune with a look of pure glee in her eye.

“So now would be the time for me to ask you out?” asked James hopefully.

“You can try,” said Lily, still smiling broadly.

“Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?” James asked her earnestly.

“Nope!” she said. She giggled very loudly. James looked crestfallen.

“Who spiked her drink?” asked Sirius.

“No one did, silly,” said Lily, “True love makes one very happy.” She sighed contentedly and began to settle down as they reached the table where Remus and Gwen were seated and studying quietly.

“Hello,” said Gwen, “Finished plotting already?”

“Yes,” said Peter.

“That almost disappoints me,” said Remus, “But then again, that probably means you’ve been planning a lot more than you lot are letting on.”

“True, all true,” said Sirius (testiness gone).

“I can’t wait!” said Lily, jumping up and clapping her hands with more glee.

The Pincer was breathing down their necks in five seconds flat.

“If you can’t control yourself, Miss Evans, you’ll have to leave,” she said dangerously.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Lily. All the cheerfulness had gone from her face to be replaced by fear.

Madam Pince sniffed and left.

“Why did she sniff?” asked James.

“I think she wanted to make sure we didn’t have any chocolate,” said Gwen.

“No, I think she wanted to make sure Remus didn’t have any chocolate,” said Peter, “You know that he’s addicted to the stuff.”

Remus stopped fiddling with something in his pocket and looked up with a sheepish grin.

“I can’t help it that my mum sends it to me all the time,” he said.

“I can’t blame him,” said James, “That stuff is good.”

“His mum’s a genius,” added Sirius. Gwen, Lily, and Tara rolled their eyes.

“Well, you guys, it’s four forty-five. We have the entire afternoon ahead of us,” said Tara, “What do you want to do?”

“Let’s play Truth or Dare!” said Sirius a little too enthusiastically.

The Pincer was on them in three seconds.

“Out of my library!” she screeched. Everyone scurried to get out of range of her piercing gaze and bad breath by fast walking all the way to the Gryffindor common room. Surprisingly enough, there was no one else there (they were studying in the library like sensible people). They all took seats around the fireplace. Remus and Gwen sat on a small couch, with Gwen leaning comfortably against Remus. Lily, Tara, and Peter sat on a longer couch. James sat in an armchair. Sirius was pacing excitedly.

“Come on; let’s play!” said Sirius jovially.

“Wait, we need some rules,” said Lily, “These four would probably make me run starker through the Great Hall.”

“Okay, no making anyone go starker anywhere,” said James.

“Fine,” said Lily.

“Okay, I’m first!” Sirius was acting like a little kid that made it to the toilet for the first time. He was jumping up and down with the aid of the back of an armchair. “Tara, truth or dare?”