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Written for Hogwarts Assignment 4 - Muggle Music - Rent : Write about Dance Lessons

Other challenges listed at the bottom.

Beta'd by my glorious Twin and the lovely Ana

Word Count -1536

It Takes Two To Tango

She entered the large hall nervously, swallowing hard. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but the idea that she was about to make a fool of herself made her want to run and hide. She stared at the others milling around, some greeting each other cheerfully as they helped themselves to refreshments from the table at the back of the room.

Ginny took in what the other women were wearing, happy that she'd decided her gym clothes would be appropriate. She'd have been horrified to arrive only to find the woman wearing glamorous dresses while she was in workout gear.

"You can put your bag over there," a woman told her, pointing to a small room off the main hall.

Ginny smiled in thanks, walking over to the small storage room. She placed her gym bag inside, draping her hoodie through the strap. As she turned around, she saw a man dressed all in black walk through the main doors.

He was handsome, with messy hair, chiselled cheekbones, and his physique was enough to make a lesser woman drool.

(Ginny didn't wipe her mouth self consciously as she followed the group in surrounding him. She didn't.)

"Ah, we have a couple of new faces today," the man said, glancing around the muddled semi-circle the others had arranged themselves into. "I'm Blaise Zabini, your dance instructor."

Ginny blinked when his eyes locked on hers for a moment. She barely heard a word he said after that. She watched his lips move, but there was a rushing in her ears that drowned out his words, and her focus on his lips was more concentrated on how they'd feel against hers.

Thankfully, the others had been listening, and the other new face, a man named Colin, had been paired up with her. He collected her as the others got themselves into pairs.

Blaise had those that had been previously just pick up where they'd left off, before he approached Ginny and Colin. Ginny followed the steps as he showed them, her hands awkwardly placed on Colin as he held her too tightly.

Her movements were stiff and she struggled to allow Colin to lead her. She only grew more frustrated when Blaise left them to practise the steps. Frequently through the lessons, she could feel eyes on her, and when she turned, it was to find the handsome instructor watching her appraisingly, a smirk tugging at his lips.

When the class finished, Ginny didn't bother to hang around. Instead, she was the first in the storage room to collect her bag, and she left while the others were still talking amongst themselves, her long red ponytail flying behind her in her haste.

…

"He's an arsehole," Ginny complained, gripping her coffee tightly. It was Tuesday morning, and she'd met Hermione at their usual cafe. "He spent most of the lesson smirking at me failing from across the room."

Hermione snorted. "You were never going to be perfect at your first lesson, Gin. He's used to beginners, I'm sure he wasn't 'smirking', as you say."

"He was!" Ginny insisted. "I know I said I wanted out of my rut, but I don't think those lessons are going to be the way for me. I know you meant well, Hermione, but -"

"You're going to run away and prove him right?" Hermione asked mildly, cutting Ginny off mid sentence. "That doesn't seem like you."

"It's not running away! It's just not for me!"

Hermione raised her eyebrow, taking a sip of her coffee. "How do you know that? One lesson and you're giving up. I think you're scared of how he makes you feel."

Ginny sat back in her chair. "You're a manipulative shit, Hermione Granger."

Hermione shrugged and then grinned. "Gorgeous though, isn't he?"

…

Ginny continued the lessons. She couldn't stop, not when she had to face the knowing gaze of Hermione whenever she saw her best friend. She wasn't a quitter, never had been, and she refused to let the gorgeous dance instructor make her become one.

Surprisingly, she did get better, but no matter who she was paired up with, she remained stiff in their arms. Her foot work became impeccable, and she knew the positions perfectly, but she didn't trust the man to lead her and that always led to the smirk adorning those stunning lips, and the occasional slow shake of his head when he passed her by in the large hall.

His disapproval only spurred her to get better.

Running in five minutes late, she wasn't surprised to find the class already paired up. Putting her bag in the storage room, she found Blaise waiting for her.

"We're at an odd number today anyway," he informed her quietly. "So you'll have to dance with me, I'm afraid."

Ginny's stomach dropped. "I can just switch off with one of the other woman for the second half of the lesson or something," she offered.

She both wanted nothing more than to dance with Blaise, and also to run from the room screaming. In her mind, she cursed the traffic for making her late.

Blaise raised an eyebrow at her. "Scared, Red?"

"Red?"

"You wear all black. The only colour about you is your hair," he murmured, taking a half step closer to her.

"Or, you could, you know, call me by my name," she retorted.

He grinned. "Come on, Red. Show me what you've got."

He took his stance and she took hers, nervously biting her lip. Blaise counted them in quietly, and they began to move. It was fluid, her stiffness leaving her with the first touch of his hand on hers. He grinned as they moved and she lost herself to the music, forgetting the steps that she was performing perfectly.

They just happened.

She didn't realise the other couples had stopped dancing until applause broke out at the end of the song.

Blushing hot enough to match her hair, she tried to take a step back from Blaise, but he held her firm.

"Don't try to fight this feeling," he murmured to her. "You were feeling the music, Red, rather than just listening to it as you have been since you began these lessons. That's the best you've danced since you came here. Don't fight it."

"I -"

"Don't listen," he reiterated, letting her step away from it. "Feel it."

…

Two more lessons passed without incident, and yet, Ginny couldn't get the memory of the feel of Blaise's hands on her skin and the way it felt to dance in his arms. She'd been paired with others for the last two lessons, and while she tried her hardest, she'd gone back to only hearing the music.

Picking her bag up from the storage room, she put the strap on her shoulder and offered small smiles to the few people she'd spoken to over the weeks. She was almost at the door when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Red!"

She turned to see Blaise across the room, beckoning her to join him.

"Stay behind for a few moments, please," he asked, glancing at the others leaving. She nodded, perching herself on a small table that had been cleared off to the side of the room in preparation for the lesson.

He waited until the hall was empty but for the two of them to turn his attention back to her.

"There's a competition in six weeks. I want you to dance with me," he said.

She had to admire his forwardness.

"Why me?" she asked, frowning. "I'm hardly a seasoned professional."

"Perhaps not, but you have an instinctive feel for the music, or at least, you do when you allow yourself to feel it."

"I can't compete," she replied, gripping the strap on her bag. "You should find someone that's been dancing longer, that's better than I am. I'd only help you fail."

He shook his head, pulling the strap gently from her shoulders and away from her grip, placing the bag on the floor. He took her hand in his, and pressed the play button on the CD player, pulling her into the middle of the floor.

As soon as he took her in his arms, the effect was immediate and she leant into him, falling into the familiar steps. She didn't know how long he spun her around the room, but she enjoyed every single second of it and she knew she didn't want it to end.

He made her feel alive in a way she hadn't in years.

As the music drew to a close, he pulled her close so they were chest to chest.

"We work, Red. We match. Say you'll dance with me."

With a split second of hesitation, she nodded. "Okay. I'll dance with you."

He spun her away from him, before pulling her back in, making her squeal with surprise. Blaise grinned.

"That was cute," he whispered, his breath tickling her face, they were so close together.

Ginny was the one to close the distance between them, and when he immediately returned her kiss, she sent out a silent thanks to Hermione for her manipulation.

She was right where she was supposed to be.

Written for;

Love In Motion - BlaiseGinny

Serpents - 15. Blaise Zabini

A Year In Entertainment - Song : "Don't try to fight this feeling."