The Tango is for Two

a/n: ive been so busy this month - awana is laying the work on us thick, and my teachers @school seem to think that the more homework, the more miserable i am. hah, theyre right!

i cant very well go up to them and say, "could you cut down on my homework...? i kind of need to work on this fanfic..."

riiight...

nothing really important, or exciting really happens in this chapter, its kind of a filler, and wow, the italics tags are sure fun to use...

the tango is for two :: chapter three - underneath it all
...

You're really lovely, underneath it all, you want to love me, underneath it all, I'm really lucky, underneath it all; you're really lovely, underneath it all. - Underneath it All, No Doubt

...

"Where's my moose?!!"

The boys in Harry Potter's dorm woke up to these shrieks, as Neville Longbottom searched frustratedly for his stuffed animal.

"Good God, man, you're sixteen years old and you still sleep with that thing?" Seamus asked, furrowing his brow.

"Looking for this, mate?" Ron held up Neville's stuffed moose - the boys had to admit, it was an adorable thing, but for a boy... no, a young man, to be so attached to it was rather odd.

"Give it back!" Neville demanded, as Ron kept it out of his reach.

"Why? Why is it so important to you?" Ron asked, and Harry and his other room mates looked on interest... it was kind of strange.

Neville huffed. "Heather gave it to me."

Harry cooed. "Ooooh, who's Heather?"

Snatching the moose away from Ron, Neville glared. "None of your buisness."

Ron snorted. "Whatever." The guys got out of bed, and started on their morning rituals, and then halfway through putting on his shirt, Dean started laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?" Seamus asked.

"It's Saturday, you dimwits."

Ron groaned, and flopped back on his bed.

Harry did the same, snuggling beneath the covers. "Wake me up when it's lunch time," He instructed.

So everyone else left them, and in the quiet, Ron asked Harry something.

"Do you really care about Cho?" He asekd.

"What do you mean?" Harry said, sitting up in his bed. Ron, across the room from him, propped himself up on his elbow.

"Well, I mean, I don't think she's right for you, mate."

"Neither do I..." Harry muttered.

"Really?"

"Well... I don't know. I just don't know anything anymore. You think I should go check on Hermione?"

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"She looked really down last night..."

"So let her sleep."

Harry was silent. "I really think I should -"

"She said she was fine. Maybe what she needs is a good sleep-in morning." Ron suggested.

Harry sighed, and got out of bed anyways.

"I'll just go down to the common room." He assured Ron, who rolled his eyes dubiously and pulled the curtains back to his bed.

...

In the common room, Hermione was actually already awake, poring over a tango book. "Good morning, Harry!" She greeted him, jovially.

He blinked his green eyes in surprise, "It's nice to see you looking so happy thins morning," he said. "Last night I was really worried."

She blushed lightly. "That's very nice of you to worry like that... but it's not needed. Just having a slow night... and with the whole um... Cho's hair thing..."

He laughed. "Serves her right." He said, decidedly, and she sighed so relieved, as though she had been holding her breath a very long time.

Harry smiled at her, and she very prettily flushed, smiling back. "Harry... don't you ever clean your glasses?" She chided, taking them off his face and polishing the lenses with her sweater.

"You should take better care of them... " She babbled on.

He watched her, amused, as she fussed over his glasses. "That's very nice of you to worry like that," He said, chuckling, and taking the old spectacles away from her. "But it's not needed."

He slipped them back on, and it took him a moment to adjust to the renewed clarity of the lenses. She was right, he should clean them more often. "You're right about everything." He whispered, mainly to himself, but Hermione faintly heard him.

"Hmm?" She asked, looking up from another moving tango picture.

"Nothing." He said, quietly, holding her gaze.

She looked away, flustered.

"Hello, Hermione, Harry." Lavender Brown greeted them, happily.

They both looked up at her rather surprised; they'd forgotten their surroundings with their amusing banter.

"I heard from someone that you two were entering the competition?" She asked, with interest.

Hermione nodded.

"What dance are you performing?" Lavender asked, and then noticed the book in Hermione's lap. "Oh the tango?" She breathed. "What a romantic dance..." She said, wistfully.

Harry and Hermione looked at the floor, embarrassed.

Lavender giggled. "Don't act as if you didn't know. You had to, when you picked it. Oh, you two will do wonderfully, I know it." She gushed.

"I wouldn't say wonderfully..." Hermione said, modestly.

Lavender laughed out. "Don't be silly, Hermione. The tango is an incredible dance... but it's most incredible when the dance partners share a strong bond of love, and passion... especially when it's a witch and a wizard..." She trailed off, sighing dreamily.

Harry and Hermione were silent, staring at her like she'd grown three extra heads and a tail.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, hoping he hadn't heard what he had.

"I said that it's an especially incredible dance when the performers share a strong bond of love, passion..."

"Back it up, there, Lav." Harry said. Hermione was still silent.

"What?"

"Love and passion?" He asked, incredulously.

"Well, duh. Everyone knows you two are shagging."

Harry shook his head in amazement, staring at Lavender. Hermione gasped, clasping a hand to her mouth.

"Shagging?!" She removed her hand for a moment to shriek.

"You know... knocking boots, doing the dirty, making love, having sex, making whoo-"

"I know what shagging is, Lavender!" Hermione said, hoarsely. "But we are not doing it!"

Lavender laughed. "You're kidding, right? How could you not?"

Hermione and Harry blinked.

Lavender shrunk back. "Oh my God. You aren't are you?"

They shook their heads, dumbfounded.

She blushed deeply. "Oh my God, like, I am so sorry!" She ran off, her cheeks aflame.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "How could they think that?"

He shrugged lamely, but Lavender's assumption was a seed, and it had been planted in his brain. It slowly grew, and he stared at Hermione funnily as she went back to reading the book.

What would be so terrible about shagging Hermione? He wondered, to himself.

Nothing, his mind answered. You'd quite enjoy it.

Hermione heaved a sigh, and her bosom raised and fell, and his eyes went wide, as he ogled her.

"Harry?"

He didn't hear the voice next to him.

"Harry!"

His head snapped up, and he turned to see Ginny watching him strangely. "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

"What, yeah, of course. Why?" He asked, as she sat down on the couch across from he and Hermione.

"Well you were staring at Hermione's..." She trailed off, as Hermione looked up.

"At what?" Hermione asked, and Ginny shook her head.

"Never mind."

Harry was blushing now, and he looked away from both girls, who were watching him curiously.

"I've got to be off, now... see you later." Ginny said her farewell and left the two alone.

...

She stepped through the portait hole, frowning to herself. Harry didn't even try to hide his emotions, sometimes... how hard could getting them together actually be?

She walked faster now, gathering her robes around her tightly, as she pushed through the great double doors and emerged into the biting cold of the outside. The wind stung at her nose and eyes, but she pushed forward, to the quidditch pitch.

Draco Malfoy was in the air, flying around as lazily as his drawl, and he stopped his broom next to her as she stared at him pointedly.

"May I help you?" He asked, stepping off his broom and sitting next to her in the stands. She looked very funny bundled up in her old robes up to her chin, her nose sticking out, looking raw and red.

"When is your plan actually going to begin to take effect?" She asked, as he removed his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, fastening it with the Slytherin Crest pin. The green snake engraved in it seemed to wink at him, as the morning light reflected off it's silver eye.

"When I decide it should." He answered, simply, leaning down and kissing her nose. His breath, his body and his arms were warm, she realized.

"Well, what if you take too long?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked her, pulling a biscuit out of his pocket and biting into it. He offered her some, but she shook her head.

"What if you wait too long, they come to realizations on their own, without assistance, and you don't end up needing my help? Then I don't get a dance partner?"

He laughed.

"Virginia, you're getting a dance partner, you needn't worry. It's all worked out. Just meet him here tonight at nine for lessons."

"Why so late?" She asked, quizzically.

"You wanted your stunning performance with him to be a surprise, right?"

She nodded.

"Then it has to be practiced in secret."

"What am I dancing to with him?"

"We're dancing the tango, Virginia." He said, crisply, eating the rest of his biscuit.

"The tango? You mean the same dance Harry and Hermione are performing? I can't compete against them!"

"Why not?" He asked, looking at her carefully.

"Well.." She stammered, not able to come up with an answer.

"I didn't think you had a reason." He kissed her, and she sank into his embrace appreciatavely, as he tasted sweet from his recent snack. She suddenly drew back.

"Wait, did you say we?" She asked, shocked.

...

Cho ran her fingers through her hair angrily, as she sat in the library. Her friends had touched it up as best they could, and although she looked stunning with short hair, she was still bitter that Hermione had the honors of giving her a new style.

"Bitch..." She whispered, to herself.

"Now, now, don't call yourself names." She turned to see Ronald Weasley standing there, smirking.

"Go away, please." She said icily.

He sat down across from her instead. "How are you doing? Your hair looks lovely."

She tried to look disgusted but she flocked to compliments. "Thank you." She said, through half-gritted teeth.

"What do you want?" She asked, after a moment of silence between them.

"You." Ron whispered.

She blinked, curiously. He leaned forward and caught her face in his hands and drew her towards his own. Their lips met in a dangerous kiss.

She pulled back. "You are his best friend. Why are you doing this to him?"

He chuckled. "He doesn't care, Cho."

She grimaced, and then looked across the table at him. He wasn't bad-looking.

She stood up, her elegant form unfolding. "Let's go to my dorm." She said, matter of factly, and he smiled and followed.

...

"Yes, I said we." Draco affirmed, sighing and leaning against the bleacher seat behind them.

Ginny shook her head. "My brother will kill me. He'll kill you! And is that even allowed in the competition? We're from different houses..."

"As if I didn't notice."

"... and don't we have to be from the same one? Besides, what a controversy it will be! And what happens after that?"

"Whatever you want." He said, quietly, looking at her, melting her with his gaze. She put her hand on his chest. "Okay." She whispered.

He leaned forward, kissing her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling herself into his strong embrace. His kisses surprised her. Draco always seemed like a cold person to her, but his kisses were hot, blazing like fire and melting her like chocolate.

She pushed her hips against his, growling deep in her throat. His hand thrust between her thighs.

"Ginny?"

They stopped, frozen in place, her nose against his, her hand behind his ear, his hand between her legs.

She opened one eye and turned it to look at the culprit.

It was Neville. She breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled away reluctantly, and Draco removed his miandering hands and huffed in annoyance at the dumbfounded Longbottom.

"What do you want, Neville?" She asked.

"Well, I just wanted to know if you'd seen Heather..."

"No, Neville I haven't." She snapped.

"... and well, I was wondering, if you know if she wanted to enter that competition? The dancing one? With the mango.. "

"Mambo, Neville, and yes, she seemed rather excited." Ginny sighed, annoyed.

"... and the tambo?"

"Tango."

"Right, well, so she, would she, you think she'd-?"

"Enter with you?" Ginny suggested.

"Er... yeah."

"Yes." She said.

Neville nodded, and turned around, and started heading towards the castle. Draco scooted closer to Ginny.

Neville turned back to them. "Oh, umm, do you want me to not tell Ron that-"

"God, please, keep it a secret." Ginny said, urgently.

"-you and... oh ok. Well, thanks then."

He finally left.

Draco grunted, leaning back.

"I've had an epiphany." He declared.

"Oh?" She said.

"I need a cold shower." He said, standing and starting for the castle.

She rose and followed. "Your genius shocks me sometimes." She said, dryly.

"I know." He replied, as he held the door for her.

...

"Why don't radios work at Hogwart's?" Harry mused, mainly to himself. Hermione heard him and rolled her eyes. "Because of all the magical wards. They all are somewhere on the same wavelength in the atmosphere and the ward's power overcomes the radio signals."

"Couldn't one figure out how to get around it?" He asked.

"I'm fairly sure the only way to do that would to unactivate the wards. And we can't very well do that. Why do you ask?"

He and Hermione were in the common room, it was almost lunch time.

"I just had an incredible craving for some muggle music. I can't think of anything I'd enjoy more than a stereo."

"Even if you could get your hands on one..."

"It would pick up static, I know, Hermione, but I've got to hear something. It's too quiet around here."

"Would some muggle compact discs and a CD player suffice?" Seamus asked, as he settled beside Hermione on the couch. Harry looked pained at his presence.

"I think that would work." Hermione answered, as Seamus went about turning on the little boombox he'd brought in. Harry watched as he showed Hermione his CD case, and let her pick an artist.

"You've got an awful lot of hip-hop," She observed.

"Nothing wrong with that." He said, his arm going around the back of the couch and coming to rest on her shoulder. His head was close to hers, as they sorted through the discs.

Harry watched as Seamus scooted awfully close to Hermione, his arm on her shoulders, his leg against hers. Hermione was reading the CD cover of something and all of a sudden Seamus' hand was on her leg.

Harry growled quietly, trying not to attract any attention, but fuming at his room mate's actions. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly so angry.

Hermione popped up from the sofa suddenly, surprising Seamus, and pleasantly greeting Harry and showing him her idea.

"Have you heard of this group?" She asked, showing him the cover.

"Spice Girls? Aww, come on, Hermione, that was so five years ago!" He said, laughing, as she poked him. "You wanted muggle!" She said, and he grinned. "All right, why not."

Ginny burst through the portrait hole, nearly tripping over the edge.

"Hello, Ginny!" Hermione greeted her, cheerfully.

She froze, looking like she'd been caught stealing cookies from the cookiejar. (a/n: in the uk, since cookies are biscuits, do they have a biscuitjar?)

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked, and went to stand by her side.

"Nothing, why do you ask?" Ginny said, still acting funny.

"You just look... strangely uncomfortable is all." Harry phrased it for her.

The redhead shook her head, and moved for the dormitories. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, brushing past Seamus and starting up the stairs.

"It's lunchtime!" Someone shouted, and everyone began herding to the door, and Hermione and Harry were swept up with the mass.

"What about Ginny?" Hermione asked of Harry.

He shrugged, as they started off for the Grand Hall.

...

...to be continued...

a/n: nnnnnn, im sorry to just sort of.. END IT right there, but its like 9 15 pm, and i know its not my bedtime but i feel reaaallly tired and i just cant write anything more right now, and besides its big enough of a file and now my sentence goes onnn and onnn and onnn...

dont mind me, and review. or ill stick fruit gushers up your- nevermind. just please review.

THERE GOES A MOOSE

review.