NOTE: PLEASE READ, ESPECIALLY UNDERLINED THINGS.

Author's Note: Finally! Chapter 24 is up. I would have had it up weeks ago; I even had the A/N and disclaimer up when my computer decides that it has too much trouble staying up at 3 in the morning and 'goes to sleep'. I"M THE ONE RUNNING ON CAFFEINE HERE! YOU"RE THE ELECTRICALLY-POWERED ONE! DAMN YOU NEO! Ahem. Well that was entertaining. On to more interesting things...no, I am not discontinuing Dancing Life, and I actually have an ending in mind for this (hehehe...die...no I probably won't kill off any main characters...depends on my sugar and Advil intake). Not only that, but for those of you who liked How to Make Snape Scream Like a Girl, I am considering doing four more chapters on it, IF I get more reviews on it. I know, I'm needy, but if I'm going to reconstruct the plot (intensely difficult) I want to make sure there will be people to enjoy it. Also, I have FOUR other stories I'm working on, so sue me if the udating process is a bit slow. I've got a few one-shots coming up, and I'm going to be spending a week in L.A. (WHOO-HOO) for spring break, so don't be surprised if I don't update for a while. I'll try to update before I leave, but no promises. CHEERS!

Disclaimer: not mine, wish it was, but it's not.

Dancing Life

Chapter 24: I Know

After about an hour searching the castle to no avail, Ginny finally decided Draco was either outside, or in his room. Since either one required her broom, she stomped wearily upstairs, careful not to disturb Heather, she located her broom and exited via the window, which she somehow managed to close behind her.

Flying around the other side of the castle, she did a couple of flips before reaching his window. Peering in to make sure he was in there alone, she whipped out her wand and murmured a spell. The window opened and Ginny flew in stealthily.

Draco was asleep apparently, on his side facing away from her. Dismounting her broom, she closed the window and set her broom against the wall. She stepped silently around to the other side of the bed and couched beside it.

She sat there for a moment, taking advantage of him in sleep to study his face. He always looked sweet in sleep, though she'd never tell him that. Her eyes traveled over his fine, aristocratic features, and a slight pain tugged at the inside of her chest.

She cared so much for him. On its own accord, her hand reached out and brushed aside his fine white-blonde hair, tucking it behind his ear. She just couldn't resist leaning forward and placing a feather-light kiss on Draco's slack lips.

He always tasted of ice and mint, and though it was cold and somewhat impersonal, it was Draco, and she loved it as she did him.

She pulled back a few inched and looked at him with that look that only mothers and lovers are capable of. That warm, devoted look that expressed the soul's deepest emotions that even they aren't aware of the cause or expression of. They simply can do it, and it was this look that Ginny applied unconsciously to Draco, in all it's splendor. It was the gaze of love, raw, pure, and wholesome.

It was at that moment that Draco's icy blue eyes, flecked with green and grey, opened. Ginny nearly jumped back, it was so sudden, and with quick understanding, she realized he hadn't been asleep at all.

"Draco, you are absolutely incorrigible." She said softly, unable to be cross with him at that moment. She merely smiled at him and lowered her lips to his. Draco's arms were shaking as he pulled her closer.

Ginny's knees hit the edge of the bed, and she fell forward, on top of Draco. To avoid slipping off the bed when they were having such a soft moment, Ginny slung one leg over Draco's midriff and leaned forward, in her present state completely unaware of how provocative their position was or of how much shit she would be in if any one of Draco's dorm mates should happen to enter the room.

Draco's tongue slid forward, touching her lips and skin so softly it tickled her wickedly. Ginny pulled back and nipped gently at his lower lip in that affectionate way that he found so enticing. She pressed her lips in tiny kisses along his chin and along his jaw, trailing them down to his throat and neck.

Draco pulled her face up to his and covered her mouth with his. Ginny's arms wrapped securely around Draco's neck as he sat up. Draco moaned in the back of his throat. Breaking away for a second to breathe, his lips went to her ear. "I love you, Gin."

Ginny pulled back, eyes soft and wide. Even though he'd said it several times, there was something in his voice that made her stop and want to cry. It was so tender, so sad, so heart-breakingly sweet.

Ginny smiled softly, feeling a heavy pressure on her heart as if it would break. "I- I love you, too Draco." She said, and even to her, her voice sounded beautiful, honest and true. She would have done anything to make him repeat the smile that lit up his face and eyes when she spoke.

His arms encircled her and somehow (Ginny never could figure out how it was physically possible) lifted the both of them off the bed and spun Ginny around several times, lifting her off her feet.

When he finally set her down, her eyes were bright and happy. Though they only repeated what they had said many times, it was if some unspoken understanding had gone between them. Some unforeseen maturation of their relationship that propounded it to a whole new level out of their reach. One that shouldn't have occurred for several years of a steady relationship. There was just something so absolute about them that they had gone through all the previous stages with unprecedented speed. They were living love as it is usually experienced in the early twenties. Draco sat her down on the edge of the bed and pulled out the box from under his pillow.

Kneeling in front of Ginny, he placed it on her lap gently, kissing her cheek softly as he did so. Ginny's heart caught in her throat at the familiar gesture. Checking herself, she forced herself to be calm. It's not what I think, it's not what I think, it's not what I think… she though over and over as her hand reached out without her control and gently picked up the box.

"Open it." Draco urged, his own heart thudding painfully. Ginny obeyed, her long fingers prodding the lid open. Somehow a gasp managed to make its way around her heart and escape her throat. "Oh, my gods…Draco, it's…" she struggled to find the right words. "It's stunning." She finally gasped, knowing it was inadequate.

Draco merely smiled satisfactorily. Taking the ring from her loose grasp, he took her left hand in his. His eyes rose to meet hers. "Ginevra Therese Weasley, I love you. You're the only woman to ever capture my heart, and now it's entirely yours. That's not the question. What I'm asking is if I can have yours? I know that we're young and we haven't known each other for that long, but I'm asking for future reference. I'm willing to wait for as long as you want, but I have to at least ask you now."

Ginny's eyes widened as he slipped the ring on her appropriately named 'ring finger'. He took her hand in both of his. "What I'm asking is: Ginevra, will you marry me?"

For Ginny, it seemed like the entire world heard that question, and stopped with the sole purpose of hearing her answer. Though Ginny had always expected this kind of thing to be one that took a lot of thought and lore time and consideration than she had given it, she knew the answer, just as she knew that fire was hot, and ice was cold. She just knew it.

Because it just was.

Draco was staring at her with so much hope that she nearly broke into tears. She nodded once, words failing her as she actually did start crying. Eyes shining bright with falling tears, she smiled and laughed, nodding.

"Yes." She finally said, her voice wavering. Draco looked as though he could have performed a Patronus right then. Ginny grinned and laughed softly, nearly sobbing. "Yes." She repeated.

Draco stood so suddenly and awkwardly that he nearly fell over in his haste. Pulling Ginny up, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that could have rocked worlds. Ginny felt like she would fall soon; her knees were shaking so terribly and she felt weak all over.

Draco finally broke away, tears falling down his face as well. Ginny laughed happily and brushed away the tears from his face, kissing him over and over again. Draco laughed as well, crushing her to him, which was lucky, because at that moment, Ginny's legs gave out on her.

Draco held her close to him as if letting her go would lose her forever. Ginny laughed weakly and clung to him as desperately as he did to her. Draco pulled away from her for a second, tears still falling from both of them. Ginny smiled warmly and wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry, I'm just so…" words failed her. "Happy" seemed to weak of an emotion for what she felt.

But Draco seemed to understand her silent expression. He smiled softly at her with such tenderness to see coming from someone like him that tears fell anew down her cheeks. "I know." Draco whispered in her ear, brushing it with his lips. "I know." Ginny smiled happily and leaned against him.

Because he did know.

Heather awoke from a heavy and peaceful sleep with the air of one content with the world. For when she woke up, she was still in the land of dreams, and the problems she had to deal with in the day hours had not yet presented themselves to her consciousness.

It was several minutes after stretching and yawning sleepily that she remembered her tears and Blaise. She sat up in Ginny's bed with a gasp. Her chest, which had felt so light and free minutes before became clouded over with a heavy weight forced tears from her eyes, though it felt more like her heart was weeping.

"Blaise…" she whispered to no one, sobs falling from her lips as frequent as the icy tears from her eyes. She sat in he warm bed, shedding cold tears from a hot heart for another minute before pulling herself together, straightening her shoulders and wiping away her tears.

She took one deep breath, filling her lungs with air, and let it out slowly as if exhaling her problems. It didn't quite work, but she was able to stop crying and think rationally and calmly. And the first thing that came to mind was that she had to go see Blaise.

Standing resolutely, she smoothed out her clothes and pulled out a small pendant on a chain from the front of her robes. At the end of the chain was a little compass rose. Literally. The gold rose was centered by a silver cross, with N, S, E, and a W labeled at one of the four points.

Heather smiled at it fondly, the memories it brought forced a whole new wave of tears from her. After several more minutes taken controlling herself, she wiped away the fresh tears. Blaise had given her the necklace a couple of weeks ago as a present. His words had been so tender…

Sighing, Heather had to admit that the necklace had been a good idea. With them in two separate houses, they never knew where each other were, making maximum time together very low. So Blaise had come up with the Sweet Seeker.

Heather had rolled her eyes at the time, but now she truly appreciated the badly named charm piece. Pulling out her wand, she tapped the center of the compass rose. "Seek." She whispered. The end of her wand emitted a faint gold glow, which spread to the compass, lighting it up for a second.

As the glow died away, the East point remained brightly glowing. Heather nodded to herself and tucked both wand and necklace back to where they belonged. She quickly left the room and Gryffindor tower.

She had to check to necklace a few more times, and finally ended up in the library. She tucked away the necklace one last time and cast a glance around the seemingly deserted room. Finally, her eyes landed on a shady corner, where the silhouette of a hunched over student was barely visible.

Sighing heavily, she straightened herself and walked over to the corner table. As she approached, Blaise pulled his head up from his arms. Heather stopped walking to stare. He looked at least five years older, and his eyes looked dead. When he saw her, his eyes flickered with life for a second before resuming their funereal appearance.

"Go away." He said sharply. Heather frowned and bit her lip. Ignoring what he'd said, she sat down next to him. "Blaise." She whispered softly. Blaise grunted and shrugged away her comforting hand.

Heather felt a rush of anger, but even greater, a tidal wave of pain that drowned her. Tears prickled most annoyingly at her eyes and she had to stop herself for a few seconds to force them back. When she finally had herself under control, she faced Blaise again.

He was staring sullenly at the opposite wall, careful to avoid her gaze. "The Sweet Seeker?" he asked shortly, as if to minimize the time he had to spend talking to her. Heather sighed deeply and nodded. "Just goes to show most of what you do in life you later regret."

Heather felt the tears rising rebelliously again. "Do you regret me, Blaise?" she asked, astounded by the clarity and serenity projected in her voice. Blaise's head jerked up for a second, as if he was about to object, but thought better of it. Or remembered that he was supposed to be angry with her.

Heather reached out and touched his shoulder. He tried to shrug it off, but she wouldn't let him. "Blaise." She said, her voice naturally low and compelling. "Blaise, look at me." She said, though her words denoted a command, her tone of voice indicated weak and pitiful begging.

Without wanting to, and without realizing what he was doing until after he'd done it, he lifted his head and looked at her. He knew it had been a bad idea. Her eyes were watery and pleading, so sad on so many levels, Blaise wished he had never started this thing.

However kind he was to her, and different he was, he was first and foremost a Slytherin. And there was a certain amount of self-pride that came along with his house spot that he simply could not live down. She could not be right. Or more importantly, he could not be wrong.

Heather smiled weakly at him, and it nearly made Blaise forget all about moronic house pride. "Listen, Blaise. I have to admit I don't know why you're angry. I'm sorry if I said something to hurt you, and you must know that it wasn't meant in the way you took it. If you want to talk to me about it, please, I'm ready to listen and try to understand, and I'm already apologizing. If I'm in the wrong so be it. But are you ready to throw us away over something so trivial?" she finished, tears now flowing freely down her face.

Blaise stared at her in obvious admiration. She'd done it. What he couldn't do for her, she had given no second thoughts of doing for him. She laid herself out in the open for him, ready to take the blame, the rages, the responsibility, the mistake. She was ready to not only forgive him his fault (for it was his), but ready to take it on as her own.

Blaise fixed her with a look that signified his new-found appreciation and respect for her. "How are you so perfect?" He asked softly, leaning in to take her in a crushing embrace. Heather let out a deep sigh as her slender arms encircled his broad back.

This was how things should be…

Ginny sat on the edge of Draco's bed in complete shock and almost as complete silence, staring down thoughtfully at the ring that signified so much, that would change everything she knew and would know and was and would be. It was the destruction of her past and the creation of her future. Their future. It was all that she'd ever wanted and all that she'd never even dared to dream of. It was so much more than anyone would ever see it to be.

Draco was standing over her, casting wary glances at her every few seconds. After the initial excitement and emotional display, Ginny had sunk wearily down onto the bed and had not moved since. She seemed to be in a deep trance, her eyes lost and vacant, suggesting she was somewhere else.

Somewhere that she created to escape to. Somewhere that Draco didn't have access to. Somewhere where he couldn't find her. She was there, but in a strange sense, she was far away, dealing with things that Draco didn't risk thinking of, for fear of a painful brain aneurism or something of the sort.

One of the first things he'd learned from his time with Pansy was never, under any circumstances, ever attempt to disassemble or even vaguely understand a woman's mind. It was a task more dangerous than getting between a dragon and its eggs, or Ron and fudge.

Sensing that Ginny merely needed some time to visit that place of hers and try to identify her thoughts and get them in order, Draco allowed her time. After all, what he had proposed was quite a big thing. Redundantly, it was a proposal.

After many long minutes, Ginny finally looked up at Draco, her eyes full of tears. His chest clenched. Could she possibly be having second thoughts? He tried to calm himself, and succeeded to the degree that outwardly he seemed totally indifferent. However, on the inside, he was driving himself mad with perpetual bombardments of 'what ifs'.

Ginny smiled weakly and Draco forced himself to swallow and cock an eyebrow. "Having a moment's indecision about the commitments of marriage?" he asked, marveling at how well he could fool himself that he was in control.

Ginny grinned wryly and stood, her arms sliding around his waist and pulling him closer. "Just wishing there wasn't another year and a half to wait." She smiled softly. "I want it so much, and yet, it kind of scares me." She admitted, looking down. Draco smiled and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Thank god." He whispered huskily, the weight vanishing from his chest.

Ginny sighed appreciatively and buried her face into Draco's silky smooth robes. "I don't know how I'm going to survive next year." She said suddenly. Draco glanced down at the crown of her head. "I mean, I won't get to see you for a whole year. What will you do? Where will you be? Will you-" she stopped, biting her lip. She was going to say 'Will you think about me?', but couldn't.

She knew Draco cared for her, to some degree. And she trusted him completely. But her past experience with men had skewed her vision on things, and she couldn't help feeling that if he were to leave for a year, he might forget her, find someone prettier, or more like him, or more mature. After all, he was one that didn't do too shabbily with women.

Ginny sighed. Draco noticed it, as he noticed everything about her. "What is it?" he asked immediately, watching her eyes carefully as they lifted to regard him with an evasive glance. "What?" she asked, her voice far too normal, far too innocent.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You know perfectly well 'what'. Come on, spill." He commanded, poking her side gently. Ginny squirmed in his arms. "Nothing, it was stupid." She shook her head, flushing slightly. Draco sighed and let her go. "Fine." He said brusquely, putting on his best I'm-angry-but-I-won't-let-you-see-that look.

Ginny turned and softened. "Don't take it personally. I just…wanted to know if you'd be thinking about me." She said sheepishly, frowning at herself. She hated those girls who always asked their boyfriends stupid questions like 'do you really love me?' or even worse, 'do you think I'm beautiful?'. So needy.

Apparently Draco thought so as well, because he arched one slim, pale eyebrow at her question. "Are you seriously asking me that?" he asked. Ginny flamed a brilliant color red and nodded sheepishly. Draco laughed and shook his head.

Turning around to look directly at her, he grasped her shoulders. "Gin, how can you even ask a question like that? Every single day I'm gone will be hell without you. I'm starting to miss you already, and I'm still here. I honestly don't know how I'm going to last a whole year without seeing you everyday or touching you whenever I want or kissing you-"

"All the time." Ginny smirked bemusedly.

Draco shrugged, grinning. "That too." He waggled his eyebrows. Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm even going to miss you making fun of me and rolling your eyes at me. I'm going to miss our verbal sparring matches, our long talks on the most obscure things, and just spending every spare moment with you." Ginny felt her body being tugged into his arms, and she let herself fall into them with the satisfactory security that she would be caught.

"I'll miss you every minute." Ginny whispered sadly. Draco nodded and smoothed her hair gently. "I know." Ginny laughed derisively. "You know everything Mr. Malfoy." Draco stared down at her, feeling not for the first time how right she felt in his arms. Temporarily distracted, he came up with the first thing his mind handed to him.

"I know."