Shut Up and Dance

Inspired by WALK THE MOON's song, "Shut Up and Dance."

"You're holding out on me," Neville said, grinning at his redheaded date. He had to ask her again; she kept avoiding the question. They had been at the dance for two hours now and talked about everything under the moon. Everything other than this, however. "Tell me, why did you agree to come? With me, of all people?"

"Come dance with me!" Ginny said instead of answering. She smiled radiantly and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the makeshift ballroom's dance floor. Their classmates, the Beauxbatons students, and the Durmstrang students were already swaying in small circles or standing on the outskirts and talking; nobody who was dancing looked completely at ease save for a select few. Among those were, surprisingly, Hermione and Victor Krum. The pair were gracefully twirling across the floor, eyes only on each other.

Neville lost his smile. "Gin, you know I don't dance." More than that, he absolutely couldn't. When you were as graceful as an elephant in a room full of china, learning how to dance seemed to be a moot point. Not to mention, his Gran had already declared him a lost cause when it came to anything more than standing and swaying from side to side.

"Don't worry about it. Dancing is fun, Nev. Just keep you eyes on me. You'll be great," she promised. Her chocolate-colored eyes seemed to glow under the fairy lights placed carefully around the room.

Before he realized it, she took his arm and pulled him directly to the center of the room. The Weird Sisters were in the midst of a slow song. Neville swallowed his anxiety and placed his arms around Ginny's waist, the way McGonagall had taught them a few days earlier. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck. He wondered if she could hear how loudly his heart was beating.

He didn't realize just how stiff he was until she took one of her hands from his neck and poked him in the cheek. "Relax," she breathed. "You're too tense."

He tried to do as she said and gave her a small smile. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous."

The song ended. Ginny stepped away from him and Neville suddenly felt bereft. They had only danced once and she was already tired of him.

Then Ginny grasped his hands in both of hers, pulling him back toward the edge of the dance floor. Only a few of their classmates were around them; most of them were grouped around The Weird Sisters. The band begun playing a much faster paced song.

His date gave him a look he couldn't quite place. "Trust me." She began spinning in slow circles and pulling him with her. Around and around, faster and faster, until Neville couldn't take anymore of it and began laughing. His laughter was infectious; Ginny began giggling. Soon they were spinning as fast as they could and laughing until they had tears running out of their eyes.

Neville collapsed first, pulling Ginny down with him. She landed on top of him,, her red hair falling out of its pins and creating a shield that hid their faces from the outside world. She was breathing heavily and so was he. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest. Asking Ginny to go with him was a good decision; he wasn't sure if he would have had this much fun with anyone else.

Suddenly, they were staring into each others' eyes, all traces of silliness gone. Neville's heart was pounding again.

"Gin..." he began questioningly, searching her expression. She looked as nervous as he felt. Her eyes drifted to his lips. He had never noticed how beautiful she was. He always knew she was pretty, but they had always been simply friends. Now, she seemed to shine and he wasn't so sure about there being nothing more between them.

Ginny began to shift against him, leaning up. Leaning away. "Nev, we should get up." But she didn't get off of him. Instead, she worried her lower lip with her teeth. That drew his eyes to her mouth this time.

This is my last chance. Time to be a Gryffindor. Neville breathed deeply. She smelled of lavender. "Not yet." He leaned up, propping his weight on one elbow. With the other hand, he cupped her face. Thank Merlin his hands weren't sweaty.

The thirteen year old froze when he touched her. "Is this okay," he asked.

She nodded, obviously steeling her nerves.

Neville leaned forward and brushed his lips against her. She didn't respond at first, so he pulled away. After a short pause, she placed her mouth more firmly against his own. His heart swelled. She actually wanted to kiss him back, he marveled.

They laid there until someone pointedly cleared their throat. Ginny broke away, and they both looked up into the disapproving face of their Head of House.

"Miss Weasley, Mr. Longbottom. I suggest you two separate quickly. Public displays of affection are not encouraged at this Yule time event," she said sternly, but an almost imperceptible smile played at her lips.

The teens scrambled to their feet, both red in the face. With mutters of, "yes, professor," and "yes, ma'am," they quickly left her vicinity.

Despite their exchange being so pleasant, Neville felt even more awkward around Ginny than usual. He avoided looking at the young witch as they made their way to the exit. Neither wanted to stick around any longer than necessary after being caught by the professor, but both of them were unsure of what to do next. By unspoken agreement, they headed toward the gardens.

They were silent as they walked. He would steal glance at her, and her of him, until they caught each other's eye and both looked away, blushing furiously. Ginny grabbed his hand again. This time, it felt more intimate. Instead of wrapping her hand around his, she wound her fingers through his until they were securely joined.

Neville smiled; asking Ginny Weasley to the ball was a very good decision.