The Tango is for Two

oh and as for archforge's comment about draco being OOC... well, i just look at it this way. how can you judge that Draco in love that way is OOC, when we base character on the canon, and in the canon we never see draco in love? i dont think its OOC for draco to a) fall in love, b) fall in love with ginny, or c) say romantic things to ginny because he's in love with her. OOC (Out Of Character) means that hes acting in a compeltely different manner than he would in the canon. but how can we say that all those things are OOC for draco when we have never seen him in love in the canon? i just think that its silly to say anything concerning draco and love is OOC.

i still love you, archforge for reviewing, though. just another hike in my review ratio. *evil chuckle*

tehee.

Disclaimer Which I Forgot In First Chapter... Woops: harry potter doesnt belong to me, and by writing this story i do not make any claims at owning it. JK Rowling owns it and ao damn it, dont sue me i have no money. That is all.

IMPORTANT NOTE: in this story, blaise zabini is a guy. i know, i know, you all think its a chick, but its not specified in the book. and "blaise" could be either. so. there.that is all.

A loud fanfare sounded, and ribbons and banners and confetti fell from the enchanted ceiling in the Grand Hall, which had been cleared and prepared. A large dancefloor was in the center, with crowds standing around, on every side.

Hermione stepped out onto the dancefloor, wearing a long red dress with a Gryffindor pin holding up the one strap. The long, silk material cascaded down, past her breasts and seemed to spin around her hips and legs. She looked like a painted portrait, perfection.

Then she tried to step forward. She tripped and fell, shrieking. Everyone laughed.

Hermione woke up from her dream with a yelp.

"Something wrong, Hermione?" Lavender asked, from her bed nearby.

"No.. just had a weird dream." Hermione explained, putting a hand to her sweaty forehead. "What about?" Lavender asked, sitting up.

"I tripped at the Dance Competition. Dress was too long." Hermione said.

Lavender laughed. "Oh, don't worry, that won't happen. Your dress isn't that long, is it?"

Hermione began to shake her head and then froze. "Oh my God." She said, dully.

"What?" Lavender came rushing to the side of her friend's bed. "What's wrong?"

"I haven't picked out a dress!" Hermione shouted, waking up the others in her dorm. "I have nothing to wear!!" She shrieked.

Lavender stood up, as Hermione swung her legs over the side of the bed. "You don't have a dress?!" She screeched.

"NO!" Hermione answered, leaping to her feet.

"Oh my God, oh my God!" Lavender started rushing around the room, wringing her hands. Hermione paced back and forth in a frenzy as well. "How could you forget?!" Lavender exclaimed.

Parvati put her pillow over head. "Will you please SHUT UP?!" She yelled at them.

Lavender snatched the pillow off her best friend's head and threw it on the ground.

"Hermione doesn't have a dress for the competition!" She yelled.

"WHAT?!" Parvati sat up in bed in horror.

"How could you forget?!" She asked, as Hermione opened her trunk and began throwing clothes around the room. "I don't know, I don't know!" Hermione said, throwing a purple dress over her shoulder. It fell at Parvati's feet, who picked it up and surveyed it. "Wait a minute..."

"What?" Lavender and Hermione looked at the third girl, puzzled expressions playing across their faces.

"Hellooo, why don't we just use magic?!" She squealed.

Lavender's jaw dropped. "Parvati you are genius!!" They embraced in glee.

Hermione frowned. "But I don't even have any idea of what I want... and I kind of want Harry to match. We might be judged for points on presentation." She pointed out.

"What was the dress like in the dream?" Lavender asked.

Hermione put a finger to her chin in thought. "Well, it had one strap. It was a dark crimson, and had a Gryffindor pin at the top of the strap, and the rest of the dress kind of flowed from that. Could we transfigure that," She said, pointing to the purple sundress Parvati held. "into the dream gown? And we have to make sure it's not too long..."

Lavender giggled, Parvati shrugged. "I'm sure we could. But here, put it on and we'll see what we can do."

Ginny finally said good night to Draco, kissing him softly on the cheek and then stealing away down the halls. She paused at the portrait of the Fat Lady, tightening Draco's robe around her shoulders, before she whispered the password.

"Hippogriff."

Fat Lady snorted awake, putting a chubby hand to her chest. "Oh dearie me! It's awfully late for young women to be roaming the halls!" She observed, swinging open.

Ginny let out a quiet laugh and slipped into the common room, not stopping to pause at the warm fire, but blazing onward to the girl's dormitories.

She stopped at the door to the room she shared with Hermione, Lavender and Parvati, to fix her mussed hair. She turned the squeaky knob and winced. She didn't want to wake anyone. The door swung open and her roommates, working on Hermione's dress, stared at her.

"What are you doing up so late?" Hermione asked, just as Lavender said, "But you were in bed..." and Parvati pointed at her face. "Your lipstick is an awful mess." She observed.

Hermione, in a half red, half purple dress, stomped over to Ginny's fourpost bed and swung the curtains back, to reveal a pillow under the covers, put there to simulate a body. "Where've you been?" She whispered, touching Ginny's cloak, and the shiny Slytherin pin.

Ginny shrank back from the three sets of eyes that were fixated upon her. "I was... taking a walk."

"With your boyfriend?" Parvati asked, wiping some smudged lipstick off the side of Ginny's mouth with a hankie.

"A Slytherin boyfriend?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow and gesturing at the clasp.

Ginny's eyes flew about the room, as she scoured her mind for an excuse.

"Don't bother trying to lie to us," Parvati said, crossing her arms. "We'll find out soon enough."

Ginny heaved a sigh and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I can't tell you. I've promised."

Hermione made a face. "But we're your friends, Ginny. We care about you and only want to help."

"I don't need any help!" The redhead protested. "It's all under control, I'm telling you!"

Parvati laughed, shaking her head, her dark hair flipping back and forth. "When you're in a relationship with a Slytherin, nothing is ever under control." She said. "Trust me. I should know. I dated Blaise, remember?"

Lavender nodded in agreement. "Tell us! Please?"

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "No. You'll all find out soon enough."

"When?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms.

"At the competition." Ginny answered, pulling off the Slytherin cloak and placing it carefully into her trunk. "I promise. If you can just wait until tomorrow night..."

Under the cloak Ginny wore her pajamas, so she simply crawled under her covers. "Now if you excuse me, it's late, and we all need our rest. Good night."

She drew her curtains closed.

The remaining three exchanged frustrated faces. Parvati went back to reading the fashion magazine, We Wonderful Witches, and continued with following the instructions on how to tranfigure a dress.

Hermione stood still, giving pointers on how to swish and flick.

Lavender, however, stayed nailed to her spot watching Ginny's fourpost bed.

"Lav hand me that Gryff pin from Herm's cloak, will you?"

"Which one is it?" Lavender asked, snapping away from her thoughts and surveying the three identical Gryffindor cloaks hanging on the wall.

"The one with HG engraved on the back." Hermione said, glancing her way.

Lavender checked the backs and on the second she discovered the correct initials. "Should've guessed. Everyone does that." She unpinned the clasp and tossed it to Parvati.

She watched, silent, as her best friend performed a charm on the pin and it floated up to Hermione's shoulder, where it pinned itself to the strap.

"Wait a minute!" Lavender exclaimed.

"That's it, that's it!" She muttered, opening Ginny's trunk stealthily and removing the mysterious Slytherin cloak. She turned over the pin and nodded excitedly. "Here are his initials!" She whispered, gesturing Hermione and Parvati over.

The three squinted at the small capital letters engraved meticulously on the back of the Slytherin crest.

"D..."

"Is that a D? Are you sure? It almost looks like an O."

"You think she's dating an Osbert?"

"Nevermind, it's a D."

"N?"

"No, that's an M!"

"D.M.!" Hermione exclaimed, and they quickly refolded the cloak and shut her trunk.

"Well. That settles that. She's seeing DM." Parvati said, nodding complacently. She went back to reading the instructions on the transfiguration.

"Stupid!" Lavender exclaimed, smacking Parvati upside the head. "Who's the DM?"

Parvati frowned. "Who cares? We have to work on this dress!"

Lavender shook her head.

"But now it's going to bug me all night." She hissed, picking up her wand, disappointed.

"Oh no it won't." Hermione breathed. She looked as if she was in a state of shock, as she slid to a sitting position on the floor.

"What do you mean? Do you know who DM is?" Lavender asked, putting a hand on Hermione's knee and crouching beside her.

"Really?" Parvati asked, crawling to kneel on her other side.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione asked, still in a whisper. Lavender and Parvati shook their heads.

"Draco Malfoy." She hissed, and the others gasped.

"Ginny and Draco?!" Lavender exclaimed, horrendously. She clasped her hands to her mouth.

"I'd never have guessed!" She confessed.

Hermione shook her head. "Me neither." She said, dazed.

Parvati grinned wickedly. "Wow. What a great choice!" She giggled.

Lavender and Hermione eyed her strangely. "What do you mean by that?" Lavender asked her, frowning.

Parvati stood up. "Let's just say, from some reliable resources, I've heard Draco is very... good."

"At what?" Hermione asked, warily.

Parvati did an imitation of porno music and some pelvic thrusts.

Lavender collapsed into giggles, and Hermione blushed, standing up. "Oh you shouldn't gossip like that, Parvati." She picked up the magazine Parvati had abandoned and read the next few steps in the process.

She whispered the last few incantations herself, and checked the final product.

"Perfect." She whispered, turning in front of the mirror, who whistled in approval.

Morning dawned and students groggily woke up, tumbling out of their Ravenclaw beds, crawling out of their Hufflepuff fourposters, toppling out their Gryffindor bed's curtains, and falling out their Slytherin sheets.

Harry Potter groped at his bedside table blindly for his glasses. His fingers finally found them. He slid them on his nose, and the world came into focus. "Morning, mate." Seamus greeted him, from across the room, where he was pulling on some pink socks.

"Like your stockings, Seamus." Harry said, amused.

Seamus frowned, looking at his toes. "Mum put 'em in with me dad's red tie. Big mistake."

Harry laughed, as he got dressed.

"So that big dance thing is today, aye?" Seamus asked.

"Yeah, so I've heard." Harry muttered. Seamus laughed. "Cho won't even speak to me. We're still signed up for the competition, though, so I dunno what'll happen when we're announced and we haven't practiced at all."

Ron fell through the dormitory door, his hair a mess and his shirt on inside out.

"Morning, Harry, Seamus." He said, trying to act nonchalant.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You're a bit messy."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ron said, tugging at the edge of the reversed tee.

"Shirt's on inside out." Seamus pointed out. Ron looked down in surprise. "Oh." He responded, dully.

"What exactly have you been up to?" Harry asked, suspiciously.

Ron looked offended. "I don't know what you're implying."

"You were gone all night." Seamus said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Ron's ears turned red. "You've got it all wrong, I just woke up extra early."

Seamus nodded, a sarcastic look playing across his features. "Yes, and I just married Neville. Do tell, who've you been shagging?"

Ron's ears almost matched his hair in their burning embarrassment. "You're mad, Finnegan. Absolutely stark raving mad."

Seamus did an imitation of porno music and a few pelvic thrusts.

Ron threw a shoe at him.

Harry laughed. "You could just tell us. Why on earth wouldn't you? You're the one that always wants us to tell you our experiences. It's only fair."

Ron shook his head fervently. "No."

"It's Draco isn't it?!" Seamus kidded. He jumped on Ron's bed in mock shock, clutching a hand to his chest. "Scandalous!"

Ron made a face of absolute disgust. "How can you even joke about such things?!" He asked, horrified. They ignored him.

Seamus moved his hand to his forehead. "I think I'm going to swoon, this is so exciting!"

Harry jumped next to him, clutching his elbow. "Forbidden love!" He crooned.

They squealed.

Ron pulled off his shirt to put it on correctly. Seamus noticed something and toppled off Ron's fourposter, laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked, furious.

Seamus leapt to his feet and pointed at Ron's neck. "This." It was a hickey.

Ron fumbled as he quickly righted the shirt and pulled it back over his head. "So what?"

Seamus laughed even more. "No, no, it's not just any hickey."

Ron paled.

"What do you mean?"

"This, my friend. Is a Chang hickey." Seamus explained, nodding sagely.

Harry's jaw dropped. "As in Cho?"

Seamus nodded. "No. As in Cha." He did a few more pelvic thrusts and imitated pulling a rope with his arm while crowing "Cha ching!" He then calmed down.

"Yes, my friend. As in Cho. Ronald Weasley has been em... knocking boots with our dear accquaintance Cho Chang."

Harry shook his head. "That's inconceivable."

Ron heaved a sigh. "Look, Harry, I didn't mean to you know... hurt you or anything."

"No, I just thought it was inconceivable that you could even get with someone like Cho." Harry laughed heartily.

Ron glared.

"I think it's amazing our friend was able to get with anyone at all." Seamus said.

Ron turned purple. "Shut up, twit. If I wanted your opinion I'd cram it down your throat."

Classes were cut down to a half day, to give the dancers more time to practice before that evening's events.

Hermione raced straight to the common room as soon as they were dismissed from Charms. She grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him there.

"What's your rush?" He asked, chuckling lightly. She dropped his arm and sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous. I feel like I'm going to fai--" Her lids fluttered and suddenly she had fainted, and Harry had barely caught her.

She woke moments later, and opened her eyes to see Harry and Ron fanning her with pieces of parchement. "Are you all right?" Harry asked, deeply concerned.

Hermione nodded, sitting up quickly, and then regretting her actions as her head throbbed from the frantic movement.

"Maybe we shouldn't dance." Harry said, quietly, his green eyes full of worry. She shook her head fervently. "No! We have to! I want to!" She forced herself to stand and shrugged off her nausea. "See? It was just nerves! I'm fine! Come on, we've got to get ready." She hissed.

She ran up the stairs to her dorm, calling over her shoulder. "I'll be down in a minute with my dress!"

Harry watched her storm up the steps. "She's working herself too hard. Spreading herself too thin, you know?" He observed, and Ron grunted in agreement. "What's new?" His friend said, and turned to leave.

Ginny came in the portrait hole, fresh from Herbology. Her robes had stains on them and she was in disarray.

"Looking good, Gin." Ron joked, and his sister glared. "Shut it." She hissed.

"Say, Gin, would you help Hermione upstairs? She's getting ready, but she's feeling a bit ill and I'm worried. Could you just you know.. watch out for her?" Harry asked.

Ginny sighed. "I'm sorry," She apologized. "But I have... I have to umm. I have to study. Big Potions test coming up soon and I'm pretty sure I'll flunk if I do not study. So eh.. sorry." She said, very quickly. She too raced up to the girl's dormitories.

"Girls are weird." Ron muttered, and left.

Harry frowned in thought. Ginny hadn't seemed very sincere. He wondered what she was hiding.

"Harry, you down there?" Hermione called.

"Yeah!" He answered, standing up and waiting at the bottom of the rickety steps. "Well... is anyone else there?" She hollered, and Harry frowned. "Eh.. no. Why?" He called.

He faintly saw at the top of the steps a door opening. He craned his neck to see around it. There was some shuffling, and the door shut, and Hermione started down the stairs.

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat, and a blush crept across his cheeks as he surveyed his dance partner.

Hermione had her hair down, and only charmed to stay unfrazzled. Not loads of SleakEasy like at the Yule Ball. Her dress was Gryffindor red, dark and sensuous. The dress was entirely proud of their house, especially set off by a house badge pinned to the one strap that held the dress up. It was tailored magically to fit her body perfectly, and he noticed this, especially where the fabric flowed gently but firmly around her breasts and hips, accentuating her curves.

The fabric gathered at her waist, held by a thin gold belt, small and modest. The skirt flowed out of there, down and then outward, and the crimson folds stopped abruptly at just below her knees. He was glad he could still see her pretty legs, if only half of them. The skirt's hem was decorated with thin golden scrolling patterns, an elegant touch. She wore red strappy heels.

She flounced off the last step and stood in front of him, blushing madly. "Does it look that silly?" She whispered.

Harry shook his head. "Hermione," He said. "You look stunning." He kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Hermione drew away and surveyed his own clothing, with a disapproving grimace. "You need to figure something out yourself." She said.

Harry shrugged.

Putting a finger to her lips, she thought silently. He watched her, amused at her little frown of concentration.

"I've got it!" She exclaimed. Brandishing her wand, (although Harry was not quite sure as to where she had hidden it in her dress) she murmured a few incantations, and Harry felt his clothing change. He looked down at himself in surprise.

She'd given him a red silk shirt, fancy black slacks, dress shoes and a fancy belt which had the Gryffindor crest emblazed upon the buckle.

"Nicely done." He commented, impressed.

She smiled prettily.

"Now then. We must practice. Hurry up, some other couple may have already snagged the Charms room!" She instructed, bustling out the portrait hole hurriedly.

Harry followed leisurely.

Ginny was digging wildly through her things, searching for the dress Draco had given her to wear. "Where did it go?" She moaned in frustration.

"It didn't go anywhere, I've got it right here." A deep drawl answered her. She spun around, shocked and yet pleased to find Draco Malfoy lazing on her bed, holding a black dress in his hand.

She leapt onto him, kissing him swiftly. "How did you get in here?"

"I have my ways." He whispered.

She raised an eyebrow. "I apparated." He confessed. She gasped. "You can apparate?"

"I'm a man of many talents, Virginia." He said, smiling wickedly. She blushed deeply.

He handed her the dress. "Put it on." Draco instucted, huskily.

She held the dress out. It was black, with a tiny silver dragon on hem. "It's a bit too large looking." She observed. Draco laughed lightly. "Just put it on. It will fit."

She began taking off her shirt and then froze. "Look the other way." She said, and he smiled. "Why?" He whispered.

"I feel uncomfortable with you staring like that." She explained. He sighed. "You shouldn't." He said, but closed his eyes.

She remained still and then heaved a sigh. "Fine. But it's embarrassing."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed of." He observed, as she slipped out of her shirt and pants.

She was about to put the dress on, but he stopped her, throwing it on the floor. He pulled her to him, kissing her neck lightly.

"Draco..." She chided, but wrapped her arms around him anyways. "... I'm in nothing but my underwear." She protested, pulling away slightly.

"Exactly the point." He whispered, and laid her down on the bed, crawling to join her.

The curtains shut.

Later on in the afternoon, Draco opened her Gryffindor curtains and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "We should've been practising." She said, sitting up as well.

"Probably." He mused. He threw the dress at her.

She looked at it funnily. "I still don't think it will fit."

"Put it on, I promise you it will fit." He muttered an incantation on himself and was suddenly in a black shirt with a silk silver tie and dress slacks. He had formal shoes as well, and one had a silver dragon on the heel.

She waggled her eyebrows at him. "Lovely shoe." She observed, pointing at the dragon. He nodded. "Malfoy family heirloom. Like the dress."

She gasped, because she had just put it on, and it had just shrunk to fit her exactly. He grinned. "I told you." He whispered, and gathered her in his arms and kissed her.

It was a simple black dress, but the magic made it hug her waist and hips firmly. Tight enough to show off her body but comfortable none the less. She beamed. "It's amazing."

"What else would you expect from a Malfoy heirloom?" He teased. She smacked him.

"Shoes?" He suggested, pointing at her bare feet.

"Right... shoes." She began digging through her things for a suitable pair.

"No, no, not 'do you have shoes'. " He said, brandishing his wand. "Do you want shoes." He explained. "Accio shoes!" He whispered, and suddenly a pair of black heeled mary janes, one with a silver dragon on it's heel, flew into his hand. Draco held them out for her.

She slipped them on and they fit immediately, like the dress.

"Amazing." She breathed.

Ginny kissed him.

"Let's go practice, then." She said, decidedly.

"Right. Quidditch pitch as usual?" He asked, and she nodded, taking the arm he held out for her. He apparated them there.

"Welcome to the first ever Dance Competition!" Professor Sinistra, appoionted announcer and commentator, greeted the crowds. Tables had been cleared away, and a beautiful dancefloor had been placed in the center of the Grand Hall. Banners hung from the ceiling and four judges, Trelawney, Dumbledore, Sprout, and Snape, sat at a long table facing the dancefloor. Sinistra had a podium in the middle, and a magically enhanced microphone. A live band was behind them, prepared to play any song ever written.

Contestants were allowed to stand across from the judges, on the opposite side of the dancefloor, and crowds of students not participating sat in floating bleachers on the other two sides, cheering and yelling for their favorite pairs.

It was finally time.

a/n: i know, i know, cliffer. well, dont worry, ill start on the next chap right away! this chapter was already hella long, so. yeah. hang in there, and...

please.