A/N: This story was written for The Houses Competition, Year 2, Bonus Round 2.
House: Gryffindor
Position: Year 3
Category: Bonus 2
Prompts: Theme: Winter. 5. [Song Prompt] I hope you dance - Lee Anne Womack, 6. [Pairing] Ernie Macmillan and Ginny Weasley
Word count: 797 words (according to Google docs)
Betas: Thank you to CK (Theoretical-Optimist) for beta'ing :)
Other: This story takes place during the 1994 Yule Ball. It is mostly canon compliant save for the pairing prompt used (since we don't know if Ernie liked Ginny or not; I'd like to think he did, though lol). I went by the movie canon with the light snowing inside, and although I really hope I showed it enough, the idea is that she warms him up despite it. I absolutely love the song prompt Gryffindor; when I was in year 8, I wanted it to be my wedding song :')
I didn't intend to write a bonus this round because I was lucky enough to get to do it the last time (and to whoever judged it, thank you so much for your comments; they made me smile!); however, things happen, and here I am again.
This is for my lovely Gryffindor; I know, I know, it's just one fic (and more will come), but I'm so so so proud of our team right now :)
I Hope You Dance
Her fiery red hair stood out against the swirling snow that drifted from the enchanted ceiling, but even if it didn't, Ernie knew he wouldn't have missed her. He always seemed to know where she was, always seemed to be able to pick her out from the sea of students around them.
He was relieved to see that she was sitting by herself at one of the tables, her partner nowhere in sight. It didn't stop his palms from feeling clammy, however, nor his heart from racing. He had been dreaming of this moment for a long time, ever since he had seen her in the hallways and realised she wasn't just the girl who had been taken into the Chamber in his second year.
"G-good eve—ahem, h-hi, Ginevra—erm, Ginny." His winced as his voice cracked.
The girl didn't seem to notice, however, her brown eyes focused on the couples dancing in front of them. "Hi."
Ernie shuffled on the spot. Part of him was glad that she wasn't looking at him; he didn't want her to see that he was sweating.
He took another deep breath. "D-do you want to dance?"
Ginny finally dragged her eyes away from the dance floor. "Thanks, but… sorry, no."
"Oh, okay, yeah, sure, another time then, maybe." Ernie turned around, his cheeks burning.
Her refusal took him slightly by surprise and he didn't know what to do next; after all, all of his fantasies had usually ended up with her saying 'yes'.
"Wait."
Ernie spun around, sure he had heard wrong. Ginny was looking at him, and she patted the chair beside her.
"Look, I'm sorry I was so abrupt. I just don't feel like dancing, that's all," she said.
She gave him a small smile, but it didn't quite seem to reach her eyes. As Ernie sat down, she turned back to gazing at the dance floor, a wistful sigh escaping her lips.
"So, erm, where's Neville?"
"Oh, he's dancing with Danielle Simmons."
Ernie scanned the ballroom, soon spotting the Gryffindor boy dancing with a rather tall brunette. When he looked back at Ginny, he saw that she was staring at them, a small smile on her face.
"And that doesn't bother you?"
Ginny's smile grew just a little. "No, not at all. We planned to encourage each other to dance at least one song with our crushes, and it worked—well, at least for him."
She then turned to a couple sitting at the tables on the opposite side of the Great Hall, but Ernie could only make out their dark hair.
"Shouldn't you be asking your crush to dance, then?" he asked.
If it was his own fantasy, she would have turned to him and told him he was her crush. That she had been watching him for all these years and knew he was more than just a shy Hufflepuff in the same year as her brother.
Of course, she just sighed again. "No; I heard he doesn't want to dance."
"Oh."
As a slower ballad began to play, Ernie studied her. She was sitting on the edge of the chair, her eyes now following the dancing couples as they spun around. As his eyes trailed down to her feet, he could see that she was tapping along.
"Just because he doesn't want to dance, it doesn't mean you shouldn't."
"I don't min—Is it snowing inside?" Ginny looked around, a look of wonder lighting up her face.
Ernie chuckled. "You didn't notice?" he asked, but when her cheeks flushed, he gave her a warm smile. "Look, if you missed something like that, who's to say you won't miss something else? That you won't always wonder what might've happened if you didn't sit here all night? Take a chance; you never know, you might find someone else to crush on."
He held his breath as he watched for her reaction. Ginny was silent for a moment, and she turned back to the dance floor.
"You know what? You're right," she finally said, and she turned to him with a small smile. "I shouldn't waste tonight."
Ernie's heart thudded against his chest. "Ginny, would you like to—"
"Would you like to dance?" a voice cut in.
He turned to see Michael Corner with his hand extended towards Ginny.
Ginny glanced at Ernie. He plastered on a smile and gave her a small nod, and she smiled back.
"Okay," she said, turning to Michael.
He watched as Michael led her to the dance floor and spun her around. More snow fell from the ceiling, swirling around them, and for the first time that night, Ernie could feel the cold.
He was happy that she was dancing; he only hoped that the next time she did, it would be with him.