"I can't dance." Ginny said, looking down at her shoes.
"What do you mean you can't dance?" Hermione asked her, puzzled. "What about the Yule Ball your third year? I thought you went with Neville!"
"Oh yes, and what a splendid time that was!" she scoffed. "Neville was a gentleman the entire night, and I kept stepping on his toes. Even ripped the bottom of my dress at one point. Thank Merlin for good ol' reparo…"
Hermione looked her friend up and down, before grabbing the girl by her waist. She placed Ginny's left hand on her shoulder, and then held on to her right hand. Ginny stood up, and the two took a few steps further into Ginny's bedroom.
"Okay, let me lead. Knowing Pansy, she probably prefers leading."
"Knowing Pansy, she probably doesn't." Ginny said, waggling her eyebrows.
"Ginny Weasley!"
"Oh please, like you're such a prude!"
"Yes, but this is Pansy Parkinson we're talking about!"
"And do you think I like hearing details about you and my brother's sex life?"
"Sorry, they just slip out sometimes!" Hermione whispered, her face heating up like a wildfire.
Ginny laughed, squeezing Hermione's shoulder before switching positions with her. Hermione tried pushing her back in an attempt to actually get the dancing started, but Ginny stepped too far back and landed on her bed with a thud.
"This isn't working!" Ginny complained.
"Well, maybe let me lead for a little while at least, so that you can get the hang of it?" Hermione said.
"No, we don't have time for that!"
"Girls? Company's starting to arrive!" Harry called out from downstairs "Mrs. Weasley wants you both down here."
"Coming Harry!" Hermione shouted.
Ginny looked into the mirror and frowned.
"What if I disappoint her?" she whispered. "What if I make a fool of her in front of everyone? 'Mione, I really like her!"
"I know," Hermione said "and she really likes you too. You'll be fine! Just maybe watch me and Ron for a bit before bringing Pansy onto the dance-floor. Then you only have to let the music guide your feet."
"Let the music guide my feet? Hermione, do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"
"Yes, I do, but that's all I've got at the moment. If we don't hurry up and get down there, your mother is going to go absolutely mental. And, quite frankly, I don't really want to see that. She kind of scares me still, after fourth year."
Ginny rolled her eyes. Her mum had gone a bit bat-shit during the whole Harry/Hermione/Viktor incident back before the war broke out. But that was ancient history, and Hermione's nervousness was honestly silly at this point.
The girls went quickly down to the Weasley's living room, and out into the backyard where the garden party was well on its way to starting. It was hard for Ginny to believe that ten years had already passed since Bill and Fleur's wedding. Ten blessed year almost entirely devoid of Tom Riddle. Ginny still had nightmares about first year…
"Ginny!"
She turned around to see her girlfriend, dressed I a beautiful lilac dress, with silver bracelets and silver earrings to match. Ginny's heart stopped at the sight, and she inhaled sharply. This was her girlfriend! The brave, beautiful, sneaky woman in front of her was all hers!
"Ginny? Darling, are you there? Or have Lovegood's nargles finally got the best of your brains?"
"I'm here!" Ginny laughed. She leaned in towards Pansy and kissed her. Pansy bit her lip and smiled at her. They walked over to a table and pulled out a chair for the other woman, and they sat down.
Pansy had curled her hair. It looked lovely.
"Please tell me your mother decided to serve the wine I recommended," Pansy said. "I know it's more on the pricey side, but the witches who make really do put magic into it! I swear, every time I buy a bottle, I don't regret it. It always makes the night seem so much better!"
"I don't know if she did. I can ask if you want."
"No, that's alright. Here come George and Angelina. If you leave me alone now, I'm doomed!" Pansy joked.
Soon their table was crowded with a rather odd mix of people. George and Angelina sat on Ginny's left, Draco Malfoy and Harry were to Pansy's right, and Hermione and Ron were stuck in between, opposite her and Pansy. Four couples that the fates had somehow decided were fit to see the light of day, eight people who were still alive and thriving. Ginny gave a thought of thanks for each of them. They had lost so much during the war, but at least they had all found each other in the process.
About an hour into the party, Bill stood up and gave a toast to his "beautiful bride of ten years" and to their "perfect children, Victoire, Dominique, and the future little Louis." Everybody cheered, and Bill and Fleur took to the dance floor.
Ginny glanced at Pansy. Neither woman had made a move yet, but she knew it would come, once the music really started going. Anxiety rose in her stomach as she spotted Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott on the other side of the yard. She knew they were friends, but they still made her nervous. The smooth Slytherins who had been a year above her in school. Cho Chang was here somewhere too, the honorary war veteran. Merlin knew how many people had been on the invite list. And they would all know about her failure in just a few minutes.
"Ginny, are you okay?" Pansy asked her.
Ginny looked up and realized only she, Pansy and Harry were left at the table. Draco must have gone to get a drink or something.
"I'm fine…" Ginny said, her eyes shifting between Pansy to Harry.
"What's wrong Gin?" Harry asked her.
Ginny looked Pansy straight in the eyes.
"I can't dance. I didn't pay enough attention to McGonagall in third year, and I didn't care to learn after that! Ask Neville Longbottom, I'll probably break your foot if we try!"
"So, then we won't dance!" Pansy said.
"But I want to dance with you!" Ginny countered.
Her face was almost as red as her hair, she was sure of it. She looked away from the brown eyes that made her heart flutter, and towards the steady green ones that were currently filled with mirth. Why the hell was Harry laughing at her? This wasn't funny!
Pansy just rolled her eyes and dragged her girlfriend out of her seat.
"Well, then, I guess I'd better teach you!"
She gently put her arms around Ginny, and started slowly swaying to the ballad that filled the night air. She moved two steps back, and Ginny moved forward accordingly.
"Okay, basically all you have to do is follow my lead. I know that's probably a hard concept for you to wrap around your Gryffindor brain, but it's honestly not that hard. And then after a few minutes-" her she stopped and spun Ginny around "-I'll spend you around, just like that. Then we repeat the process until the song's over. Seriously, Gin, it's nothing to be worried about!"
"I was more worried I would embarrass you in front of your friends than anything else."
"Oh, screw them! We can dance however we want to! And if that means dancing on each other's toes, then so be it. If you want to dance with me, then we'll dance."
Ginny and Pansy stepped and spun across the floor. And while it would be lying to say that their dancing was flawless, it was still lovely to watch.
Ginny watched Pansy as she twirled her, and her dress spread out around her like sunbeams radiating off the Sun. Pansy's eyes were shining. She was happy. And she was right. Screw them. Screw them all a hundred times over! If it meant that it would make Pansy smile, that it would make the woman she loved happy, then she would dance with her until the world stopped spinning, and they were the only ones left to notice.
"I love you, Pansy Parkinson."
Pansy grinned at her, her cheeks flushing.
"I love you too, Ginny Weasley."