"I need a date to the Ministry Yule Ball!" Pansy's heartfelt declaration reached into the depths of the Ministry office she was working in.
"Do you need to be asked, or to do the asking?" was the knowing response from her boss.
"I would like to be asked, but I think I'm going to have to do the asking, considering who I want to go with," she responded, tossing her long, wavy black hair. With her largish dark eyes and the pert nose she had grown into, she was quite striking.
"Who do you want to go with that would cause such turmoil?" Tonks was truly perturbed. If no one cared anymore that she was married to a werewolf, unless Pansy wanted to ask the Dark Lord, it shouldn't matter.
"Ginny Weasley." Pansy's face was blank, holding her breath, waiting for criticism, but ready to make a really bitchy response to cover for it.
The flat response broke Tonks's heart. She knew Pansy too well to believe the flat affect meant she didn't care. She liked her brash, rude, snarky assistant. She made work fun.
"She and Harry broke up rather spectacularly last month. He flat out told her he didn't want to have so many 'staged' photos, and she was not happy. Then Luna went to comfort Harry, and well, Ginny has discovered that Harry wasn't as easily led as she hoped." Tonks threw the info out there to spark something.
"Someone did a good job keeping that quiet, I haven't heard anything about it," said Pansy.
"Luna pretty much runs the only reputable paper in Britain anymore, so if she wouldn't pay for the story, the other papers were afraid of what she would do to them," answered Tonks wryly.
Luna had done an excellent job of torpedoing the Prophet by making fun of almost every headline since the war ended and she took over the Quibbler. Unfortunately, her headlines all had more truth than the Prophet, and when she posted the photos of Rita in compromising positions with more than one editor or politician, that paper folded.
Pansy shrugged. "That crazy blonde has managed to get everything she ever wanted, considering she was everyone's go to whipping boy."
"I like Luna," Tonks replied simply. "And I like her with Harry. He needs someone who doesn't give a fuck about the limelight."
"They both need someone who can just see them as people. Well, if you can call the Golden Boy or Looney Lovegood people. I can see how that relationship works. Ginny, though, that little firecracker needs to make a splash, and I'm just the woman to help her!"
"So, why don't you send her an owl?" There was a gleam in Tonks's eyes.
"No, not yet, there's some time still before I absolutely have to have a date; I need to scope the situation out to figure out how to work it best." Pansy was returning to her devious, scheming, Slytherin self.
"You still need to work, you know," Tonks said, her face blank, her hair... sparkly?
"What are you planning, oh boss of mine?"
"What makes you think I'm planning anything?" Tonks was channeling her Aunt Bella with the expression on her face. Pansy was almost frightened, well, except Bellatrix Lestrange would never have had sparkly hair. Medusa hair, maybe, but not sparkly.
"I've never seen your hair sparkly before. You really need to work on those tells. On second thought, don't; I certainly love taking all your Galleons on girls' poker night," Pansy said with a grin.
"I believe there are a group of people in need of dance lessons, Ginny being one of them. I know you were trained, so I think I'm going to offer you as an instructor," Tonks responded, ignoring the crack about her tells.
Pansy was caught between the simple beauty of the plan and the deviousness of it. "Weren't you a Hufflepuff? That plan is almost Slytherin."
"My mother was Slytherin, you know. My da was the Hufflepuff. And before you start saying everyone is going to expect boy/girl, you always need to demonstrate, don't you? Show the boys how to lead properly?"
Pansy stared at her boss in awe. Just then Remus stopped by for their weekly lunch. "Very good, Tonks," said Pansy with a wink. She turned to Remus. "Be very glad you are happily married and your wife has decided she's straight, or I would totally steal her from you."
Both Tonks and Remus stared bemused as Pansy strutted out of the office.
"Decided you are straight?" Remus had never heard his wife referred to as anything but heterosexual.
"I had a bit of an experimental phase before you. She is into girls. We've talked." Again, Tonks was channeling Bella. Which could be frightening, unless you realized how much Andromeda looked like Bella.
Remus got his eyebrows under control, then said: "You chose me for ever and always. I can't complain about your past, love."
"Good wolfie!" Tonks laughingly patted him on his head.
Remus pulled her close and kissed her passionately, then they walked off to lunch at their favorite cafe.
That Saturday, Pansy found herself in the Hogwart's Great Hall at nine in the hellishly early morning. She watched as Headmistress McGonagall welcomed all the new "students" to the first of four Saturday dance sessions.
"How long are these going to go?" called out Dean Thomas from the crowd.
"I'm contracted for six hours, a three hour morning session, then an hour lunch, then another three hour session in the afternoon, letting us all have plenty of time to get to our dates, no matter where they are, since the Headmistress is being kind enough to open the Floo here in the hall at the end of the session," stated Pansy, gracefully gesturing to the Floo that was behind the staff table.
"Never knew that was there," muttered George Weasley, disappointment in his face. "Fred and I could have really used that."
There were forty students, mostly people who had grown up during the second Voldemort War, and whose parents had not adhered to the older traditions.
Pansy scanned the crowd, looking for Ginny. She spotted the tall, lithe redhead standing next to Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood. They looked to be laughing together.
"Bloody Gryffs can't even get a break-up right, can they?"
Pansy looked over at Blaise who was hissing in her ear. "Lovegood is a Ravenclaw."
"Bah. You are going to be difficult, aren't you, Parkinson?"
Pansy turned her best bitchy smile on her unsuspecting friend. "You have no idea, Zabini. Why'd you even sign up to help teach this? Community service?"
Blaise turned his nose up, turned around quickly, and went over to speak to Daphne Greengrass who had also volunteered.
Pansy watched him leave, all the while striking a pose, with her hand on her hip, her leg out to show its length. She could have been a Muggle fashion model, as well as she knew all her best angles.
"I wonder whose attention Pansy is trying to get," mused Luna.
"What makes you say that, love?" asked Harry. He couldn't see anything about the haughty Slytherin that would give anything away. She didn't look any different that any other time he saw her.
"The way she's been looking over the crowd and then posing. She wants someone to notice her," responded Luna in her matter of fact way.
"You know, Luna, if Harry wasn't so bloody happy, I'd have to punch you. Why didn't you ever tell anyone you were that good at reading people?" Ginny was mostly over the breakup. Mostly.
"Who would I have told? No one really ever spoke to me." Luna was the one person who could state the most heartbreaking things in such a matter of fact way that they almost seemed fantastical.
Harry and Ginny gave each other a significant look over Luna's head.
"You both can stop that. Life happened as it should. And I think you are the one that Pansy is trying to attract, Ginny. Her eyes keep coming over here, and she doesn't find blondes attractive after Draco broke her heart, and she thinks Harry is an idiot," Luna said with a wink at Ginny.
Ginny burst out laughing. "She can't want me, Luna. I'm sure her little fling with George put her off of Weasleys forever."
"No, not all Weasleys. Just male ones."
Ginny gave up trying to reason with Luna, and walked away to try to find a partner.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Luna asked, a mischievous look in her eye.
Harry twitched. "Um, I know the thought of two women together is supposed to be hot, but imagining Pansy and Ginny together just makes me want to find my jock strap and cup."
Luna's laughter made everyone around them stop and stare. Since she was so used to that whenever Harry was around, she didn't even notice.
Ginny strode the length of the hall, quickly discounting the men already paired up, as she made her way to the front, closest to the instructors. As she reached the space where the Head Table usually was, now just a raised part of the floor, she realized there were an odd number of women, and she had failed to get a partner.
"Guess I'm going to have to leave, then," she said aloud, and shook her head. "My luck is holding, all of it bad." She started toward the doors when she was stopped by Pansy Parkinson.
"Look, Red. I need a woman to demonstrate to these idiot males how to lead properly. If you don't mind dancing with another woman, would you partner with me?" Pansy's chin was up, full of false bravado all the while hoping Tonks's ploy worked.
Ginny thought about it for a bit, remembering both her luck with men and what Luna said, decided quickly. "Sure, why not?" She waggled her eyebrows. "We can make them all turn their heads, right?"
"Exactly."
Pansy grabbed her by the hand and led her to the raised part of the floor.
"What the heck are you doing, Parkinson," hissed Zabini, bothered by the appearance of Ginny. He had pursued her fruitlessly during her relationship with Harry.
"I needed a partner. I can probably lead better than you can, oh pretty one," Pansy answered with a poisonous grin.
Daphne and Ginny smothered their giggles.
"I thought you were going to start the demonstrations," Pansy said sweetly. "But I guess I have to do everything just as I always do."
Blaise winced.
Pansy lifted her wand to her throat and and murmured Sonorus. "Alright everyone, stop milling around like cows and pay attention!" She waited a bit for everyone to turn and look at her. "Now, since most of you boys are idiots, my co-instructor included, I'm going to show you what a proper lead looks like. Ginny here has agreed to be my partner." She then waited for the idiots to stop muttering about impropriety. She heard more than a few whacks, when the witches got tired of either the insults or innuendos from their partners. "Now, everyone, please get into the proper dance frame for a waltz!"
"Pansy," Ginny whispered. "I'll bet only about three of them know what you just meant."
"Then they are stupider than I thought. You know, right?" She hoped she hadn't just insulted the girl she wanted to impress.
"Yeah, of course. I only came to see if there was anyone out there to take as a date for the Ball. I guess not, but being your partner will make sure everyone sees me," she said.
"OK, let's not worry about that. Please get into position." Pansy turned to glare at the students. "See Red here? She has her arms in a proper frame." Everyone looked at Ginny, and the females all got into the same position.
Pansy walked up to her, and got into the position to lead. "The men should look like this." She waited for all of them to shuffle into place. "The basic waltz is one-two-together. Men start forward on their right foot, women step back on their left."
The lessons progressed fairly smoothly, Daphne and Blaise leaving the actual teaching to Pansy.
After the first day of classes passed as successfully as any of the organizers ~coughHermionecough~ could hope for, quite a few of the couples and old friends headed off to bars and clubs to celebrate their weekend properly.
As everyone left, Ginny was watching the crowd. Not one brave soul came anywhere near her to ask her to go dancing or drinking or even home for a shag.
"All alone, Red?" Pansy had sidled up to Ginny as the other girl watched the crowd.
"Yes, Pansy. Are you happy? I totally screwed up my relationship with Harry, and I managed to come off as such a bitch no one else wants to go near me." Ginny huffed in exasperation. "I guess I did it to myself."
"None of those idiots have enough balls for you, Red."
Ginny looked at Pansy speculatively. "And you think you do?"
"No. I know I do." Pansy tilted her head back challengingly.
Ginny grinned, a grin that would not have looked out of place on Fred and George at their worst. "Prove it."
Pansy nodded approvingly. "Let's go, Red." She was pleased when Ginny didn't ask where, she just put her hand in Pansy's and let her lead.
The next three weeks, the dance lessons went pretty much the same as the week before. Most people didn't know anything more than the basics, and Pansy and Ginny and Daphne and Blaise showed them the proper way to do the basics.
After the dance lessons, Ginny and Pansy would wait until everyone left, then head out for a date.
"So, you are willing to be my date for the Yule Ball, then?" Pansy had never gotten over making every statement a challenge.
"Yes, of course, Pans. You've been the best relationship I've been in, well, ever. Who cares what everyone else thinks!" Ginny grinned.
"And what happens when Momma Weasley pitches a fit, huh? What then?" Pansy was trying to cover all her angles.
"She will have eight dozen grandbabies from my siblings. She will get over it. If she didn't disown me over breaking up with Harry, and she didn't disown Ron when she caught him and Lavender in the broom shed, then she will get over it." She cocked her head and looked at Pansy. "What else are you worried about, Pans?"
Pansy's shoulders hunched a bit, and she turned her back on Ginny. "Who says I'm worried. Next thing you will be saying I'm afraid."
Ginny put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder soothingly. "Pansy, I love notoriety. I think I love you, too. So, what's the issue?"
Pansy turned and stared at Ginny, her gaze piercing. "You know, nothing. We better plan our entrance."
The night of the Ball, the creme de la creme of British Wizarding society was present at the Ministry Atrium, which had been converted to a Ball Room.
The murmurs at the entrances were plentiful, rising to a fever pitch when Harry and Luna walked in, and everyone noticed the emerald on her finger.
As the voices died down, and the crowd was starting to mingle, the doors opened again. Standing there hand in hand were Ginny and Pansy. Pansy was wearing a fitted black Muggle tuxedo, looking long and lean, with her hair pulled back and wearing bright red lipstick. Ginny was wearing a gold colored gown, with a plunging neckline and back, that obviously magic to stay on her lithe body.
Pansy leaned over and kissed Ginny right on the lips. Instead of murmurs, there was a dead silence.
"I think we broke them," Ginny said, then giggled.
"Who cares," replied Pansy, as they walked into the Ball as though they owned it.
Luna turned to Harry. "I told you!"