Lesson Two ? Do Cats Tango?

Dances with Witches by Pearle

Summary: Severus Snape loses a magical bet. The consequences? The Tango! My answer to the codpiece challenge on Wiktt. HG/SS

Disclaimer: The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling and Co. I promise to return them when I am through. Well, most of them anyway.

~~~~~ Dances with Witches ~~~~~

3. Lesson Two – Do Cats Tango?

It was Monday evening before Severus emerged from his dungeons again. He normally spent most of the summer lost in pure research and experimentation in his private lab. The house elves were used to him flooing the kitchen for meals at odd hours. They had been forbidden years ago from entering his private laboratory or personal quarters. He had experiments and potions that should not be touched by anyone. It was also conceivable that one of the elves could have caused him a problem during the years he spied on Voldemort.

Severus had always been a solitary man. He normally preferred his own company to the company of others. Inane small talk and mindless chatter annoyed him. Albus required Snape to attend dinner during the school year. He worried Severus would turn into a recluse if he ever left Hogwarts. Dinner Monday night found Severus sitting between Remus and the Headmaster. A full moon would appear in a week and Remus had found he was low on Wolfsbane.

Albus eyes twinkled as he said to the Potions Master, "So, Severus, I understand your first lesson went well?"

Severus glared at the Headmaster. He considered Albus to be his friend and mentor, but the man enjoyed tormenting him for some unknown reason, as evidenced by the conditions of the lost bet. Albus always claimed he wasn't trying to annoy Severus. He merely had his best interests at heart. How the bloody hell could dancing with Granger and learning the Tango be in his best interests he'd like to know? He supposed his traitorous body could answer that one. 'Down boy,' he thought with a chuckle. His dreams had been of a certain witch lately. The dreams had them dancing together again, this time without clothes on!

Snape answered sarcastically, "Fine. Just wonderful. This week we will work with castanets."

"I believe castanets are used in Flamenco dancing not The Tango. Have you decided to take more than one type of dance lesson from Miss Granger?" asked Albus as he laughed at the murderous glare Severus was directing at him.

"What lessons are you taking from Hermione, Severus?" Remus asked curiously.

Severus addressed the Headmaster, ignoring Remus, "I am so pleased you are enjoying my discomfort, Headmaster. I do so enjoy amusing you." He stood abruptly and left through the back door in a flurry of cloth.

"What was that all about?" asked Remus.

Albus was still laughing as he answered, "Severus lost a bet to me and the consequences were most dire." Albus's eyes shone in the candlelight.

"The consequences?"

"Yes," he said with a smile. "He is being forced to take dance lessons from Miss Granger. I firmly believe he needs to leave his dungeons and interact with other human beings once every five or ten years, whether he wants to or not."

"What type of lessons?"

Remus would later swear that the Headmaster's eyes shone like fairy dust for a moment before he smiled and said, "The Argentine Tango."

Remus choked on the pumpkin juice he was swallowing. "You have got to be kidding!"

Albus's grin was bright. "Should be interesting. Don't you think?"

Remus could only nod his head in agreement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hermione was sitting in the break room with Katherine and Samantha. "So how is tall, dark, and gothic doing?" asked Sam with a grin.

Hermione gave Sam a look before answering, "Professor Snape? Not bad. He moves very well, course we only worked on up and back in a straight line with me pivoting to show him how to keep your partner moving in a straight line at turns." Hermione shrugged. She had agonized over having to teach him anything in the days preceding the lesson. She still had knots in her stomach wondering how tonight would go.

"What is with him?" asked Katherine.

"He's a bit, I don't know eccentric?" Hermione laughed at the description. She really couldn't pin down what he was. "The man is brilliant, top in his field. I think he needs to work on his people skills."

The girls laughed. They looked at each other when they heard the outer door open. Both Hermione and Katherine were teaching tonight. Katherine sang out, "Show time!"

"You take the front and I'll take the back studio. Wells' lesson is only an hour. Professor Snape is scheduled for a two-hour lesson, that way you won't have to disturb us when you finish. Just lock the doors when you leave. I won't be able to hear anyone come in if I'm in the back studio."

"You can have all the privacy you want," snickered Samantha with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"So do you have a thing for him?" asked Katherine.

"Oh grow up you two." Hermione rolled her eyes at the two as she and Katherine walked to the front. They reminded her of Harry and Ron whenever they talked about the opposite sex. A thing for Snape? The man obviously had a nice body and his intelligence had always intrigued her. Even though the dreams she had of him had been erotic, they were just dreams, a product of an overactive mind. Hers. She was sure he was not a pleasant person in real life. The dreams were the result of not being involved with anyone for longer than she cared to think about. Snape? She'd stick to looking and not touching thank you.

Snape and Wells were waiting at the front desk glaring at each other. Hermione thought they looked ready to break out their wands and challenge each other to a duel. She wondered if Wells knew Snape was a dueling master. They would be picking up pieces of Wells for weeks if it ever came to a duel.

"Good evening, Professor. Please follow me. We're going to use the back studio tonight."

Snape shot the wizard a last look as he followed Hermione down a short hallway. She was dressed much the same as she had been last week, except this week her clothes looked as if they were painted on by magic. The skirt swayed with her hip movement as Severus watched her walk. Thoughts of his dreams this past week did not help as he watched her arse sway in front of him.

Hermione walked through an open doorway halfway down the hallway. "Here we are." She turned to look at Snape. He was reaching up to unclasp what appeared to be his teaching robes.

As Severus opened the clasp, a coat rack appeared. He silently eyed the witch daring her to say something about his attire. Hermione remained silent while he hung his robes and frock coat on the rack. He was dressed once again in a white dress shirt and black linen trousers.

'At least he didn't wear a cloak this week, that must count for something,' she thought with a laugh. She moved to the middle of the room. "Ready, sir?"

Severus stood silently waiting for Hermione to instruct him. "Last week we worked on the basic walk up and back with an open and closed stance. This week I'd like to work more on structure and form. To move gracefully when dancing the Tango, keep the image of a cat in your mind. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet, not your heels as you do when you normally walk. Shifting your weight will create a more cat like movement. You need to keep this movement as we dance the steps. It helps with the graceful flow of the Tango. When you move backward, stay on the balls of your feet and straighten your leg a little more than you ordinarily would. You should reach back a little farther than you might feel is natural. This will stop you from bumping your partners knee when you dance and help with the flow of movement."

Severus snorted. "A cat. Would you like me to get down on all fours?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Professor. Try walking on tiptoe for a moment."

Severus stood looking at her. She couldn't be serious?

"Walk on your tiptoes," she repeated with a nod of her head.

Severus looked skeptical. "You're serious?"

Hermione gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, watch. It's an exercise in movement. You know if I questioned everything you said in class, I never would have learned anything." She moved forward and back, and side-to-side on only the balls of her feet. The moves were more of a glide then steps. "You start practicing on tiptoes to strengthen and stabilize the muscles of your toes, feet, and ankles. You don't dance on tiptoe. That would be too tiring. Professor?"

Severus walked forward a few steps, bouncing on his toes. He could feel the muscles in his calves tighten as he moved. He felt unbelievably idiotic and thought he probably looked ridiculous.

"Good. Now move backward and remember to exaggerate straightening your leg." He moved four steps backward. "Fine. Try again, completely across the room, up and back."

Severus glared at the young woman, but did as instructed. He could feel an ache in his legs and feet.

"Good. Now remember to walk on the balls of your feet as we try the next set of steps. In Spanish, the verb Caminar means 'to walk'. The single movement of one foot forward and then bringing the other foot next to it is called a 'paseo'. A Caminata is a series of 'paseos' or steps. Lets try four paseos together, first with a slow beat and then with a faster Latin rhythm. Try to let your feet move with the beat. Ready?"

Severus moved forward to place his hand on her back and waited for her to position herself against his arm and chest. The shift of his weight from a flat stance to the balls of his feet brought his chest more firmly against Hermione's breasts. He looked down and thought the "V" in front was deeper than the top she had on last week. The material felt like silk under his hand.

"Five points from Slytherin for not paying attention, Professor." Hermione was grinning at his obvious distraction.

Severus glared at the witch. A hint of color appeared on his cheeks. 'Blood hell,' he thought, 'the little chit is enjoying this.' He leaned forward, his breath warm on her ear. His voice was silky as he said, "I do not believe you have the right to deduct house points, Miss Granger. 10 points from your precious Gryffindor for impertinence and inappropriate attire for an instructor."

Hermione grinned as she ignored his comment. "Are you ready, Professor?" The music had a slow beat as they moved together forward and back. "Good, now we're going to speed the tempo up. Watch your step and remember to stay on the balls of your feet."

Severus found it was harder to keep the same movement with the faster rhythm. "Count the beats in your head while you move. The movement should be more fluid. Watch." Hermione stepped back out of his arms. He felt the loss of contact more intimately than he should have. She stepped forward while counting each step. Each step was held for the count of one as she said, "Watch my feet. One, two, three, four."

"Like a waltz?" Severus scowled at her and his legs ached. There must be some sort of charm to make this easier and ease his muscles. Eight more lessons like this? He'd never make it.

"This is a Tango, not a waltz. Not only that, a waltz doesn't have four beats. It has three. A waltz is ONE, two, three, ONE, two, three. Not one, two, three, four. Shall we try again?"

Severus was sulking. "Last week was much easier."

"Last week was the first lesson. You start at the beginning. You wouldn't teach a first year how to brew a Draught of Peace would you?"

"A Draught of Peace is taught fifth year, Miss Granger. Or has your ability to retain even the simplest of information moved beyond your capabilities?" A tired and annoyed Snape tended to be snappish.

"That's my point. We start with what is easy and work towards what is more difficult. Shall we?" Still not happy, he moved forward and assumed the beginning position. They moved up and back until Hermione was satisfied with the movement.

"Now let's try the same steps but this time the music speeds up to an eight count measure. Watch." She demonstrated the counting and movement but moved much faster this time.

Severus stepped forward into position. They moved awkwardly to the faster beat. Hermione had them work on the movements until they flowed a little easier.

"We have about fifteen minutes left. I just want to show you one more step tonight. It's a two-step called El Retrocesa and it starts out backwards. Your right foot moves back, hold it for two counts and then slide your left foot even with your right and move it a step to the left, then bring your right foot next to your left for one count. From there we go back into a walk again, forward and back. Lets move through it slowly a few times to get the feel of the movement. It might help if you start off center of my legs. You'll have less of a chance of bumping my knee that way. Remember, on the balls of your feet. Ready?"

He was back to wanting to kill Albus again. Walking had been easy last week. Now counting and a new step, he didn't want to know how to do the bloody Tango anyway.

The buzzer sounded signaling the end of their class. "Good. The eight count tempo and that last step will require some practice to get it right, but tonight went well." Hermione was grinning mischievously. "For homework, I want you to practice walking on your tiptoes for at least ten to fifteen minutes a night. You need to build up the correct muscles in your legs. Stand as if you were holding me, yours arms in the proper positions, then rise up on your toes and repeat the steps we did tonight. Try doing it at least three times through, up and back, with a slow beat and three times through with a fast beat."

"Homework." The word dripped sarcasm. Exactly who did she think she was? He arched his eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Yes. Homework. This is a class. I am the instructor and you are the student. I give you homework to prepare for the next lesson," Hermione spoke patiently to him as if he were a three-year-old child. "Unless you'd rather I tell the Headmaster you refused to cooperate? I'm sure the consequences still apply for not completing all ten lessons. The choice is yours, Sir."

Hermione waited patiently as Severus's black eyes glowed with anger. It galled him to know she was right, and what was worse, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

His voice was pure honey as he asked, "And do I receive a grade at the end of my lessons, Miss Granger?"

She smiled brightly. "Oh yes, and a certificate, suitable for framing." She was baiting him and appeared to be enjoying it as well.

Severus grabbed his frock coat from the rack and put it on. The stand popped out of existence as he lifted his teaching robes and swung them around his shoulders before securing the clasp. Hermione turned back to the studio as they passed through the doorway. She pointed her wand at the room and the lights went out.

They had reached the front desk when Hermione saw the poster in the window advertising the performance at the University. "I don't know if you're still interested, but the poster has information about next weeks performance at Cambridge." Hermione continued to lock up. Sounds of closing doors and slamming could be heard from the other rooms.

Severus looked at the announcement. The poster was printed on both sides so the information could be read from inside and outside. Brightly color swirls dotted the face of the board. Large bold letters proclaimed, 'Dancing Exposition! One night only.' The Argentine Tango was listed first along with the Fox trot, the Rumba, the Waltz, and several other dances. The date was listed as a week from Saturday. A line at the bottom said, 'New lessons and classes starting in the fall. Join Now! Special Introductory Fees, Ask any Associate. Owner: Thaddeus Prittchard.' That explained a thing or two. It also brought up a few new questions.

"Ready, Professor?" Hermione had walked up beside him while he was reading the poster.

He waved his hand to indicate the sign. "It says you will be performing at the Cambridge Enchanted Union?"

"Yes, this is a wizarding dance school. The Cambridge Enchanted Union is part of the new wizarding university set up at Cambridge." Hermione followed Severus out the front door. She turned to lock and ward it as she asked, "Are you planning on attending?"

"I am not sure I will have the time." Severus stood to the side and waited for her to finish. He would Apparate after she left.

Hermione nodded. "Good night, Professor. See you next Thursday." She was gone with a pop.

Severus looked at the sign again. Thaddeus Prittchard. Prittchard had been three years behind him when he was a student at Hogwarts. He had passed some information along to Dumbledore a few years ago about two prominent Death Eaters before the Dark Lord's downfall. Granger had said her boss owed an old friend a debt. Albus should have been in Prittchard's debt, not the other way around.

Questions swirled in the Potion Master's mind as he Apparated back to the castle.

TBC

A/N: The steps and form of the dance (as well as those that appear in future chapters) are from this web site: Tango tutorial - http://64.70.140.102/ourdance.htm. Challenge rules can be found following chapter one.

Next up, another dance lesson and an exposition at the University. Severus hasn't even begun to fret over the costume he is going to be required to wear. Enjoy and let me know what you think. As always thoughts, comments, reviews, whatever are always welcome.

Regards, Pearle