The Tango is for Two

a/n: archforge. i love ya. i really do. um, he pointed out very nicely that there is no apparation or disapparation on Hogwart's grounds. thank you, nicely done, i know, i screwed up. oh well. ill fix it later, its not really entirely that important to me, and yes im lazy, so uhh.. yeah. i just couldnt think of any other way fer draco-poo to get into ginnerz' room without her noticing.

so well done, you uh... pointed out a mistake. woopity fucking doo for you.

shameless plug : read Lady Godiva's fic The Lady of the Forest. its verrry well written and extremely interesting. plus shes my friend and plus she agreed to plug my fic as well. ;) sounded good to me.

Rainbowy Silver Tinsel asked if the dance scene would be detailed and descriptive and dance steppy and honestly, i wish it was, lol, but i dont...dance. eheh. so i dont think youll get like a move by move commentary. sorry!

also, in chapter 3, when i asked what the cookie jar is called in britain, i got 3 people and 2 diff answers, biscuit tin and biscuit barrel. and silver storm dragon said that they have pretty naff biscuits.

whatever naff means, lol...

other than that, just read...*sigh*

the tango is for two :: chapter eight - practically perfect

...

Hermione watched as a couple twirled about the dancefloor, and she put a hand to her stomach. "What if we fall?" She fretted.

Harry grinned at her, squeezing her hand. "We are not going to fall, Hermione." He assured her. "Well, you might." Seamus said, nearby. "You never know." He winked.

"Shut up, Seamus." Harry glared. "At least I have a dance partner."

"Ooh, touche. But honestly, it doesn't matter. I've got it all worked out. Talked to the judges, see, and I figured out exactly what to do." He smirked. "That trophy's in the bag."

Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes.

"Next the only solo category... Hip Hop solo dances!" Professor Sinistra announced, and the spectators cheered wildly.

A Hufflepuff shouted something vulgar and he was dragged away by McGonagall.

"Our first contestant... Mr. Seamus Finnegan."

Harry's eyebrows flew to his hairline. "Hip Hop solo?" He whispered skeptically in Hermione's ear.

Seamus sprinted forward, and then up to the band to talk to them about the music.

"Oh yes, I can see it now. I'm sure he'll be dancing to something by the Fat Boys." Draco dryly said, from his stance nearby.

Hermione and Harry sniggered.

The band struck up, and began to play 'Ice, Ice Baby' by Vanilla Ice.

Seamus started breakdancing.

"Oh dear God." Cho exclaimed, putting her head in her hands. Seated next to her, Ron laughed and pointed at Seamus.

"He's falling all over his arse!" He exclaimed.

Dean, seated behind them, tapped Ron on the shoulder and began explaining that Breakdancing was actually supposed to look like that.

Seamus finally finished, and half the crowd cheered and half just laughed.

The judges scribbled things down on their notepads.

Seamus came offstage, sweaty and red in the face. "Was that great or what?" He asked Harry, punching him in the arm. "You've got no chance."

"You sucked." Came the reply from Harry, Hermione and Draco.

Seamus stuck out his tongue.

"Since there were no other contestants in this category... we're eh... happy to announce that Mr. Finnegan has won the trophy for this category."

Seamus slid out onto the dancefloor on his knees, arms above his head in victory. The students sniggered.

"Moving on to the next category! The waltz! Our first contestants..." Sinistra droned on.

Draco watched as a Hufflepuff pair pranced around the dancefloor. So far all contestants had been from the same house. He and Ginny's performance would be shocking, to say the least. Not only the only ones from different houses, but Slytherin and Gryffindor... and a Malfoy and a Weasley.

He glanced over his shoulder, to where Ginny stood, bundled up in his cloak so no one would suspect her dancing, and more importantly, no one would suspect her dancing with him.

The first couple finished, and then Draco was surprised to see Neville and his girlfriend Heather come onto the floor and waltz. Draco felt Ginny beside him. "Is it her?" She whispered, leaning against the railing.

"No." Draco said, under his breath, and he heard Ginny sigh with relief. He looked at her fondly, but only for a moment. Then she bustled away.

The crowd went wild as Neville and Heather finished, the students obviously immensely approving of the spectacular performance.

Draco clapped his hands over his ears as the roar threatened to deafen the bystanders.

There were several more waltz contestants, and then Professor Sinistra announced the winners - Neville and Heather.

Hermione and Harry clapped loudly. They really deserved it, their performance was stunning and flawless.

"Who knew Neville could dance that well?" Hermione whispered, and Harry chuckled.

"Next is the Mambo and then afterwards the Tango!" Prof. Sinistra announced. Harry squeezed Hermione's hand reassuringly. "But right now we will have a short recess!"

He stroked her hair. "We'll do fine. I promise you I won't step on your toes."

"I'm not worried about that, Harry." She said. "I'm worried that... I'm worried that I might faint again."

"Do you feel okay right now?" He asked, eyes full of concern.

"Yes, yes, I feel fine right now. I just... I never know... what if?"

He shook his head. "No 'what if's, Hermione. We're going to do this, and we're going to do this well." He embraced her.

"And what's the worst that could happen?" He whispered in her ear.

Hermione smiled as they parted. "You never know." She said, quietly. Harry smiled and kissed her. "I won't let anything happen. If you faint, I'll keep dancing with your limp body."

She gasped. "That's horrible!"

"Sorry." He said, sheepishly. "I was just kidding."

Ron tapped Harry's shoulder. Cho was at his side.

"Just came to wish you two good luck." Ron said, beaming at his two friends. Harry waved. "Thanks."

Cho and Hermione exchanged cautious glares.

Ron sighed, exasperated. "Will you two get over it?" He said, crossing his arms. "It's not right when my two favorite girls fight."

Hermione sneered, but Cho stared at Ron. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Well... Herm's my friend and you're my... well.. my girlfriend and..."

"Your girlfriend?" Cho repeated. Ron nodded slowly. "Well.. yeah.."

"I never thought of it like that." Cho said, putting a hand to her lips thoughtfully. Ron grimaced.

"What did you think of it then?" He shouted. "Was I your... your fuck-buddy or something?"

Cho looked around, and saw a lot of students staring. "You're causing a scene, Ronald." She hissed, hands clenched at her sides.

Ron looked around and saw that indeed he had drawn quite a bit of attention. "Then come take a walk with me." He hissed, grabbing her by her arm and dragging her out of the Grand Hall.

Harry looked at Hermione with a worried look. She smiled, taking his hand. "Don't fret. I know I'm your girlfriend." He laughed nervously. "I know. I'm just worried for Ron."

She nodded.

"Will everyone please come back to the dance floor? I repeat, everyone back to the dancefloor!" Sinistra announced, and Harry and Hermione rushed back to their place in line.

"What if he misses the performance?" She hissed.

Harry shrugged. "We can always repeat it for him later." This seemed to comfort her, and she nodded.

"Next is the Mambo! First couple, Ernie MacMillan and Susan Bones!"

Draco, by himself, far removed from Harry & Hermione, clapped boredly. He wished he was near Ginny, who was pouring herself punch, across from him. He looked around to check no other Weasleys or Gryffindors were looking, and strolled up to the punch bowl.

"Weasel." He greeted her.

She gave him a little smile, and then sneered. "Go jack off, you bastard." She hissed.

"Might have to after we dance..." He whispered, so no one nearby could hear. Her cheeks burned red, and she bit back giggles. "You're terrible." She said. "And why are you here? Someone could see us."

"If you're thinking of your brother, he's off with Chang, bickering about something. And everyone's going to end up seeing us anyways."

"You're such a fucking prat!" She hollered, to keep up the charade. She then spoke in a softer voice. "I think I should go."

"Go to hell, you filthy little weasel!" He lowered his tone. "Please don't. "

"SOD OFF!" Ginny raised her arm and slapped the air, stopping her hand centimeters from his face, and then put it to his cheek. "You have very smooth skin." She whispered.

He reached up and pulled her hand away, holding it in his own two. "So do you."

Draco then pulled his hands away as if he had been burned. "Don't touch me!" He said, loudly, then smiled. "I'll see you after Potter and Granger's dance." He whispered, and then checked around him.

No one was paying attention.

He pecked her cheek roughly, and then bolted away.

She sighed, setting down her punch.

...

"What term would you PREFER?" Ron spat, as he dragged Cho roughly down a hall.

She stopped him, putting a hand to his arm. "We're lovers... that's it."

He made a confused face, his hand dropping away from her wrist. "What's the difference between that and girlfriend or boyfriend?"

She rolled her eyes. "We're sleeping together, not dating."

Ron shifted his weight from leg to leg. "I don't understand."

"You don't have to." Cho said, smiling.

"Why can't we be... dating?"

"Well..." Cho paused. "You never asked."

"Do you... want to?"

Cho looked at him strangely. "You mean, like have a relationship with you?"

"Well why not?" Ron said.

"I... I don't.. I don't know, Ron."

"We get along well, don't we?"

"Ron.."

"And it's not like we have any romantic problems.."

"Ron!"

"What?"

"I'm... afraid." She said, wringing her hands.

"Of what?" Ron turned his head.

Cho bit her lip. "Of losing you. What if... what if something happens to you? I don't think I could handle something like that."

Ron urged her to continue. "Why are you afraid of that? Why should that stop you? Does this have to do with..."

"Cedric? Yes. And I'm afraid of losing you because I don't want to lose someone I lo- er, like very much, again. It's stopping me because... because it'd just be so much easier..."

"Is that why you... why you always ... just..."

"Slept around? What else was there for me to do? I needed someone, but I didn't want to attach myself, in case ... in case something happened again."

Ron put his arms around her.

She pulled away. "So you see... we can't. I can't."

"You can't let this affect you so much, Cho!" He whined, stroking her arm. "I don't even feel that strongly for you," She said, firmly. "I thought it was just a one time thing and then... well."

"Then I actually thought we had something and annoyed you by continuing to sleep with you because I was an idiot." Ron hissed, pulling his hand back suddenly. "Is that what happened?"

"Ron, don't make this any harder."

"Any harder than telling me you don't care for me at all? Any harder than stopping sleeping with me? Any harder than breaking my heart? Sorry I've made it more difficult for you to acheive those things. I'll get out of your way now."

Ron gave her a rude gesture and stormed back to the Grand Hall.

Cho felt ill and ran the other way.

...

"And now, students, the TANGO!!!"

Excitement rippled through the dance contestants, the anxiety and adreneline falling heavily upon the tango couples. Hermione put a hand on the railing to steady herself and turned to look into Harry's eyes for reassurance. The orbs burned with emerald intesity, as he tightened his grip about her waist. He was equally nervous, she could see it in the white knuckles of his hand, which was decidedly clamped on her hip.

The veins in his arms were taught and the muscles contracted, as he focused on remembering the routine. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he flinched, brought back to reality.

"Something the matter?" Hermione asked, smiling lightly, her brown eyes warm and comforting.

"No, nothing at all. Just trying to remember the steps..." Harry explained, biting his lip. She reached up and put a finger to it, and he released it. "Don't bite your lip, it makes you taste all bloody when I kiss you." She said, grinning widely.

"Sorry." He said, hoarsely, leaning in and catching her lips on his own.

The first couple was announced and they watched idly as the contestants threw themselves about the dancefloor. "We don't look that ridiculous, do we?" Hermione asked, laughing.

"I hope not." Harry said, stroking the small of her back. It sent shivers down her spine and she nuzzled his neck.

"Next up, from Gryffindor, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger!" Sinistra shouted, and the crowds cheered enthusiastically.

Harry and Hermione stepped onto the dancefloor, and Hermione stared at her feet as Harry abandoned her to tell the band what to play. The hard wood shined up at her and the scuffs made by other contestant's shoes made her feel sick. Emotions and nerves bundled together tightly into a steel ball that dwelt at the bottom of her stomach, sending out queasy waves of worry.

Suddenly Harry's hand was holding hers, and the band was playing the intro. Then the world disappeared and the weight inside her disappeared, and they danced.

They danced better than they ever had before, with passion and flare and burning love.

The audience was dumbfounded after the music stopped, and then erupted into thundering applause.

Hermione clung to Harry's chest as they drifted off the floor, and past the congragulating and complimentary crowds, headed for a spot in the bleachers.

"It's over!" She exclaimed, gleefully.

He took her hand in his. "Thank God." He breathed, as the speed of his beating heart slowed to that of a mere locomotive. He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo. It was some sort of fruit... Harry couldn't put his finger on what fruit, but he didn't exactly care that much, it was a heavenly flavour all the same.

"Next couple dancing is from... oh my! Two different houses!"

Ron plopped down next to Harry and Hermione. "I saw the end of your dance. That was nice." He said, dully.

"Gryffindor and Slytherin.."

Harry and Hermione turned and smiled at their friend. "Thanks." They answered, simultaneously.

"Here is Draco Malfoy.. and Ginny Weasley??"

The trio turned to the dancefloor, their jaws dropping. "They're competing in the Tango?" Hermione gasped. "They're dancing together???" Harry asked, making a face. "They're dancing together?" Ron yelped.

Harry turned to Ron and Ron turned to Hermione. "You knew?!"

Draco and Ginny came out onto the floor from opposite sides. They met in the middle and Draco nodded to the band.

The music struck up, and the trio in the bleachers had no choice but to watch as their friend and sister danced with their rival.

As the shocking couple whirled about the dance floor, mixed reactions came from the crowd. Some were too shocked to say or do anything and just watched with their mouths wide open. Some were angered by this turn of events and clenched fists in their laps and muttered profanities. Some murmered, some gossiped, and some made smug faces and claimed they knew it all along.

But halfway along through the routine, everyone was thinking the exact same thing. They were really good.

Ron made a face. "This has to stop." He growled, and suddenly remembered something. "I never taught him that lesson..." He whispered, his eyes lighting up.

Harry and Hermione shushed him with a wave of their hands as they watched in awe. "They're better than us!" Hermione fretted.

Ron looked at his friends angrily. Not for long, he thought, and rose from his seat, striding down the steps easily and leaning against the railing, shooting glares at the couple as they danced by.

Ginny felt her stomach lurch as they passed Ron, and she knew he was about to do something. "Draco.." She whispered.

"What?"

"I think Ron -"

She was cut off as a flying Weasley tackled her dance partner with a war call.

"Interference on the dancefloor! Mr. Weasley! Someone restrain him!"

Ron threw wild punches at Draco and ignored Ginny's shrieks of terror. There, that was his nose, his eye, he wanted his victim to feel as much pain as possible.

"This is for my sister!" He hissed, grabbing Draco's collar and shaking him. Ron socked him in the stomach.

"This is for calling Cho a slut!" He spat, punching Draco in the nose.

"And this is for treating my family like shit!" He whispered, glaring fiercely.

He reached back and prepeared to hit him hard in the eye. He released the swing and his fist was met with Draco's hand as he blocked the punch.

He shoved Ron off of him, and drew himself to standing position, so that they were eye to eye.

Ginny suddenly threw herself at him, sobbing into his arm.

And then hell broke loose. Ginny pulled away from Draco and started screaming at Ron. "You fucking bastard!!! CAN'T YOU ALLOW ME TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT QUESTIONING MY JUDGEMENT!? YOU ASSHOLE!!"

Her brown eyes were red from crying, and they seemed to glow with vehement anger. Her aubern hair whipped around as she screamed and screamed at Ron. It reminded the crowd of when Ron received a howler from Mrs. Weasley in second year.

Only it was worse.

"We could have WON!!" Ginny screeched, finally stopping and then turning and storming off the dancefloor. Draco rushed after her, but not until after shooting a glare at Ron, who looked at the floor queasily.

...

The crowd remained silent, their eyes on Ron, who was left offcenter on the dancefloor. Professor Sinistra cleared her throat.

"Could those who are not participating in the competition please remain off the floor?" She said, with a pointed look at Ron.

He cursed under his breath and ran off in the direction of the courtyard.

""Well. We must move on. Winners of the Tango are... ah, Miss Hermione Granger and Mr Harry Potter. Close second were Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley. Will the winners please collect their trophy?"

Hermione and Harry came up and took the prize, feeling rather awkward.

"The judge's final decisions will be tallyed, and in a moment we will have the winners. Short recess."

The students suddenly came alive with a buzz, and swarmed around, gossiping and reveling in the recent turn of events. Harry and Hermione ducked out of the masses and looked around for Draco, Ginny or Ron.

Hermione looked at Harry. "I don't know who to start with. They all seemed so upset." She confessed.

He nodded.

"I know." He said, scratching his neck. "I hope they all get back on time for the final scores."

"Harry." Hermione said, looking at the trophy in her arms. "I don't think we deserve this."

"Of course we do!" Harry exclaimed. "We did a good job!"

She huffed. "But they did a better job. They would've won if it wasn't for Ron."

"That's not true. You don't know, they might've messed up later on."

"I guess."

They looked at each other.

"I wonder if we won the overall prize..." Harry mused, looking at the judges.

Trelawney had her fingers pressed to her forehead and her eyes squeezed shut and was muttering under her breath. Snape sneered at her while he did some calculations with Sprout and Dumbledore. They seemed to be having a heated conversation.

"Come on, we've got to find Draco and Ginny before they make the decision." Hermione said, grabbing Harry's hand and tugging him out of the Grand Hall in the direction she'd seen the distraught dancers go.

...

Ginny picked up a heavy rock and threw it violently at a back wall of Hogwart's. She was whispering every curse she knew, her jaw set hard and her brow furrowed.

"Virginia." His smooth voice wafted down from the stairs next to her. She refused to look at him, and instead twirled around the other way, crossing her arms and staring out over the grounds.

"We should have won." She hissed, and her tone was barely audible over the howling wind.

Draco leapt off the stair's side and came up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I know. But did you really want to beat them all that much?"

She let out a sigh and turned her head to look at him. "No." She confessed. "But what Ron did was wrong, and mean, and spiteful."

"I'm sure he thinks what we've done... or what he thinks we've been doing was wrong as well." He pointed out, his agile fingers dancing down her arms and taking her hands in his.

"I know. But... we could've won."

"I'm sure we got second." Draco assured her.

"Second isn't first, though!" She snarled, grabbing her hands away and spinning around to face him, and he saw she had been crying.

"Well, obviously. But no one could have guessed he was going to do that."

"Yes, they could have! We could have! We should have! I know my brother, and I knew he was going to be right pissed, well beyond belief!" She exclaimed, waving her hand.

"It didn't stop us, though?" He said, more of a statement than a question.

"No, but it should have! Or we should have done... something."

"Why should it have stopped us? We just wanted to dance." He pointed out, cocking his head sideways so he look her in the eye. She was frowning deeply and her hair fell across her eyes, shielding them from his view.

"Virginia." He said, in a slightly chiding tone. "We did our best, and it was better than we could have imagined."

She nodded dully.

"Besides, all you asked for was a partner for the competition, not to win." He said, raising his eyebrows.

Ginny's head snapped up and she glared at him. "But I wanted to win." She complained.

"Everyone did, I'm sure."

Her grimace faded away and she looked at him desperately. "But I wanted it most of all."

She collapsed into his arms.

"Ginny," He said, softly. "I'm sorry. I wanted to win as well."

She pulled back. "And whatever happened to your plan?"

He chuckled. "I told you, emotions are tricky things. Sometimes they need a push from others. But sometimes they work out on their own."

She nodded, holding hands with him.

"Ginny! Malfoy!" Hermione's voice greeted them as she and Harry raced outside.

"We didn't want you to miss the final announced winners." Hermione said, smiling. Ginny eyed the shiny trophy in her arms and looked the other way. "We'll be along in a minute, don't worry about us." Ginny assured her.

Draco gave her a pointed look and then turned to the other couple. "You did very well." He said, and Harry and Hermione smiled embarrassedly. "Thank you." Whispered Harry. Hermione nudged him hard in the ribs. "You... you did too." Harry said, rushedly.

Draco gave a little smile and then went back to comforting Ginny.

Hermione watched the two awkwardly. She looked up at Harry, who shrugged.

"Ginny." Hermione piped up, and the youngest Weasley looked up at her, and she saw she had been crying.

"Oh, Ginny. You did an absolutely fantastic job." Hermione cried out, and hurried down the steps and thrust the trophy at her.

"You deserve this. If Ron hadn't gone and made a fool out of himself you two would have been the obvious winners."

Ginny pushed the trophy away, despite a gleam of excitement in her eyes. "I can't accept this. You won fairly, as the decision of the judges."

Draco looked at her funnily, and then pushed her aside gently. "Maybe Virginia can't accept it, but I can." He firmly grasped the trophy and pulled it from Hermione. "Thank you." He said, crisply, and flung it at Ginny, who burst into tears but took it anyway.

She held it with one hand while she hugged Hermione. "You're too nice to me!" She sobbed, and Hermione smiled and stepped away, her lip trembling. "You deserve to be treated nicely." She whispered.

Hermione then turned and dashed back up the stairs and into Harry's arms. "Please hurry back, we don't want you to miss the ending scores." Harry said, and then squeezed Hermione and they left.

...

As they stumbled back to the Grand Hall, Harry nuzzled Hermione's neck and laughed gently.

"You're too kind for your own good." He said to her, and she sniffled. "I'm sorry it's such an inconvenience." She whispered, and he laughed and kissed her roughly as they marched back in and waited with others for the final scores.

...

In the courtyard, Ron was kicking the humpback witch's statue and cursing.

"Ron." Someone said, and he didn't turn. The voice was sweet and soft and he didn't want to face anyone who sounded that kind.

"Just leave me alone." He shouted over his shoulder. "I've gone and made a big arse of myself, I don't need more people poking and shouting at me."

"I'd never do something like that to you. I care about you too much." The voice said, wavering slightly. "Won't you please turn around?" The mystery girl pleaded. "And see who it is that actually cares?"

Ron stared at the statue defiantly, and remained silent. "I don't need anybody who fucking cares right now." He said loudly. "I need somebody who loves." He said, under his breath.

"Was that why you ran to Cho Chang and flung yourself at her and set yourself up for heartbreak?" She said, and Ron clenched his fists. "No." He said.

"Then was that why tried to make yourself love her? And make her love you back?"

"No!" He shouted, red in the face.

"Oh, Ron, don't make it hurt even more than it does!"

He swung around, face purple with rage.

He then paled.

"Padma?" Ron asked, and blinked confusedly.

The petite Ravenclaw nodded and smiled shyly. "I've watched you with her, Ron. You aren't really happy with her, are you?"

"You've been stalking me?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No!" She protested, laughing lightly. "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"Because you're madly in love with me?" Ron tried, looking rather hopeful.

She smiled, with a hint of maniac in the grin.

"Besides... I mean, I treated you terribly at the Yule Ball. I'm really sorry about that, by the way." He said.

"Don't worry. Your presence was enough."

Ron shrank back, looking scared out of his wits.

She laughed loudly. "I was just kidding, Ron!"

"I knew that." He said, looking as though he hadn't know it at all. She smiled and held out her hand. "Why don't we go back to the Grand Hall, listen to the final scores of the competition?"

He made a face. "But Ginny is there. With Malfoy." He spat out the Slytherin's name disdainfully.

"Then you will apologize to them. And then we'll hear the final scores. Please, Ronald?" Padma asked, her dark eyes wide with hope.

"All right." He consented, and took her hand as they trudged back inside and headed for the Grand Hall.

...

Ginny and Draco greeted Harry and Hermione just in time to hear Professor Sinistra speak up.

"There's been an interesting turn of events. We are trying our best to sort things out so that all will be fair. We're sorry to keep you waiting so long, it will only be another moment or two." She explained, and turned back to the judges. Snape and Sprout were arguing vehemently, waving pieces of paper, Trelawney was looking into a crystal ball, and Dumbledore just looked amused.

"Thank you, again." Ginny whispered to Hermione gratefully.

Her friend smiled warmly and squeezed her arm. "No problem."

"Ginny, can I have a word?"

Ginny spun around and was unpleasantly surprised to see Ron standing there, with a blushing Padma near him. Oh, the tangled webs we weave... Ginny thought back to one of her close friend's favorite phrases.

Snapping back to the present, she narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to... to apologize." He explained.

She tried not to look surprised.

"I should hope so." She tried, lamely.

"I shouldn't have done what I did. It was stupid of me, I was angry." Ron continued.

"Well, I understand that it was kind of shocking." Ginny confessed.

"Not really, I'd known since that night you were with Malfoy in the library courtyard." He admitted.

Her eyes went wide. "You knew? You saw? Why didn't you... why didn't you do something then? Did you purposely wait until the dance contest?"

"No! Of course not!" Ron protested. "I'd never do something like that to you on purpose. I was just... a little... preoccupied with..." He glanced at Padma and then looked back at Ginny hurriedly. "...you know."

"Cho?" Padma supplied.

"Yeah, Cho."

Ginny nodded. "So why did you do it during our dance?"

"I kind of... remembered. And besides, something else had just happened that... kind of.. put me into kind of a mood. If you get what I'm saying."

She nodded slowly. "I suppose."

"Anyways, Gin. I'm sorry. I really am. And I... I want you to be... happy and all that. It was just... I didn't think you'd..."

"Be happy with Malfoy?" Ginny suggested.

"Yeah, Malfoy." Ron said.

His sister smiled and threw her arms around him. "Oh, Ron, how could I not forgive you? You're my brother, I love you. And besides, you should see your face right now, you look devastated."

Ron smiled and pulled away from the embrace.

"I'll try and cheer him up for you, Ginny." Padma said, smiling coyly and leading him away.

Ginny rolled her eyes, laughing and turned back to Draco, who handed her the trophy.

"Thank you for dancing with me, Draco." She whispered, and he smiled. "Of course, Virginia. It was my pleasure."

Harry and Hermione smiled at the couple from their spot nearby, leaning against the railings again.

"I hope the judges hurry." Confessed Hermione. "All this extra wait is killing me."

"We're sorry for all the extra wait!" Professor Sinistra's microphone came alive, and Harry shot Hermione a grin.

"The judges have finally come up with their decision!" He took her hand in his.

Dumbledore handed Sinistra a sealed envelope, and the students cheered and urged her to open it. She scanned the contents in surprise. "Is that allowed??" She asked the judges. They nodded and she shrugged.

"All right, students! The moment we've been waiting for is finally here! First, in third place, Ernie MacMillan and Susan Bones of Hufflepuff!"

The crowds stood and cheered as the couple hurried up to receive their trophy, a massive bronze giant with a mambo-dancing couple on top.

They watched the statuettes twirl in delight.

"In second place, Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley of Slytherin and Gryffindor!"

The crowds erupted again, and Ginny handed Hermione the tango trophy as they stepped up to receive the silver, gargantuan award that took the both of them to hold, with a tango dancing couple engraved in the center.

"Finally... in first place..."

Hermione set down the tango trophy and put both her hands in Harry's and pressed her face into his chest.

"An unusual turn of events..."

She gripped his hands tightly.

"A tie! Between Neville Longbottom & Heather Crumble and Harry Potter & Hermione Granger of Gryffindor!!"

Hermione breathed a huge sigh of relief and Harry led her up to the stage to receive the amazingly big gold thing with 'FIRST PLACE' engraved in huge fancy letters and a tango couple on it. Neville and Heather's had a waltzing couple, appropiately.

The students applauded greatly, thunderous clapping and cheering filled the hall for the three winners. The crowds stayed late, celebrating and feasting well into the night, but the dancers headed straight for bed or their common rooms, exhausted from their performances and from the amazing crowds and adreneline rushes.

...

Late that night, Hermione curled up on an overstuffed crimson sofa in the common room with Harry.

"I can't believe it's over." She breathed.

"I can't believe we won." Harry said, smiling down at her. She nuzzled his cheek affectionately.

"Imagine that." She whispered.

"Imagine what?" He asked. "The year isn't even over and all my dreams have come true... there's nothing left to be imagined."

She smiled into his chest. "You're right." She admitted. "It's practically perfect."

"Practically... perfect." Harry said, looking out the window at the stars and then down at the young woman he held in his embrace. "Perfect." He whispered, finally, and they dozed off in front of the cheery fire.

The stars shone merrily, and the luminescent moon hung in it's corner, silent but keeping watch over the students. It was indeed a practically perfect night.

But night shadows bring to life other beings and plots and plans of evil, which is what makes such perfect nights only practically perfect. For lurking in the forests, or in other dark corners of the earth, there may be an evil plan in the workings. Dark creatures may be stirring, and wicked people may be awakening.

But the night is still practically perfect, for the creatures and evil ones dare not disturb the quiet moonlight. And even if they do, there are always those who stand to defeat them again, those who stand for the perfection that is love.

People like Harry Potter and his companions.

So although the year was not over, a chapter had finished in their lives, and indeed it was, practically perfect.

...The End...

...

a/n: thank you to my reviewers, yes, even you, archforge. i lurv you all. ta, and pleease

review and God bless