AUTHOR'S NOTE: So here it is, finalmente...the last chapter to Dancing Life. I was contemplating doing this whole plot twist, nearly everyone dies, mayhem and sadness type-ending, but couldn't bring myself to do it. So here we are. I'm not sure if I'll do an Epilogue or not...what do you think? Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Not mine unless it doesn't belong to J. K. Rowling. The chapter title is from the movie My Fair Lady, and the 'red, red, red!' part is an adaptation of one of the lines from the same movie...you can tell I like My Fair Lady, can't you?.

Dancing Life

Chapter 29: I Could Have Danced All Night

The dance came much sooner than anyone expected. Time, being the naughty little bugger it is, loosed itself from its regular bonds and cavorted around Hogwarts in a most offensive (to teachers) and welcome (to students) …cavorting manner.

"Damn cavorting time!" Ginny yelled out quite randomly the afternoon of the dance.

Several people eyed her suspiciously and many more made circling motions with their fingers near their ears. Ginny's cheeks dusted pink. "And I am not insane!" she shouted, more or less to the vast majority of the people in the library.

Many shrugged, disbelievingly, and went about their business, not too worried that one of their number had gone inexplicably insane. Ginny fumed silently until a silky voice sounded at her ear. "I for one, have to agree with the masses on this one; you, Ginevra Weasley, are certifiable." Ginny turned in her seat to grin at Draco as he leaned over her shoulder. He gave her a mischievous look. "I just find that whole 'lost my marbles' bit very sexy."

He was beginning to wonder why he was on the ground when he realized that his chest was aching from where she'd shoved him. He stared up at her, as she examined her fingernails, a quiet smirk playing around the lines of her lips. "When did you get so fast?" he asked, half in awe, half in amusement.

Ginny shrugged carelessly. "Since I acquired Draco Malfoy, speed-demon ferret as my boyfriend." The maniacal laughter trademark to the Weasleys indicated that someone of the aforementioned red-headed clan found this last statement highly amusing.

Ginny rolled her eyes, not bothering to turn around. "Bugger off, Ron. Draco and I have a dance to get ready for." She heard more snickering behind her. "I can see that. If you can't even manage to keep Malfoy on his feet through the dance, you're going to need a lot more help then just a few hours' practicing time.

Draco glared up at Ron half-heartedly from the floor. "I hate you." He pouted, before crawling under the table and wrapping himself childishly around Ginny's legs. Ginny laughed merrily and even Ron couldn't suppress a grin. Harry and Hermione appeared from behind a bookcase, Harry's arm slung around the waist of a pretty Ravenclaw girl.

Blaise glanced away from Heather, one table away, to take in the scene before them. It was one of the most heart-lifting and warming pictures he'd ever seen. For a moment, everyone had forgotten about the war…their differences…they were like kids again, and along with a great sense of fun there was a beautiful lack of discrimination.

He smiled as Draco snuck a hand up Ginny's leg, causing her to gasp and smack him with a book. "Draco! Stop messing about; we've got a dance to get ready for, remember?" she giggled as Draco tickled the inside of her knee.

Draco huffed and put on an affronted facial expression. "You just don't appreciate me, do you? No, not even that; you don't love me at all!" he shut his eyes against her protestations. He opened them again when he realized there were no protestations.

Ginny was smirking a somewhat familiar smirk at him, not denying his claim at all. In fact…

"You're right; I don't love you. In fact, Snape and I are having a torrid affair behind your back. We laugh and mock you in bed."

Had Colin Creevey been there, he would have drooled over the opportunity to catch the infamous Slytherin Prince Sex God with an expression of utter horror, disbelief, and nausea on his face, such as Draco was wearing now.

Ginny couldn't hold for long. She burst out into laughter, ducking under the table and nearly hitting heads with Draco. His eyes narrowed as she cracked up in front of him. "You…rotten little hussy." He glowered. Ginny sat back up, her eyes laughing mockingly at him. He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

At that moment, a silver-headed someone rushed past the library doors. Backing up, a silver head poked into the library. "Aha!" Skye shouted, earning her a reproving glare from Madame Pince. Ginny's head popped up as Skye rushed into the room, finger pointing at them.

"YOU! I have been looking for you for ages! What are you doing here, you're supposed to be getting ready!" she asked Ginny, including Blaise and Heather (who had wandered over) in her rant. "Why aren't you getting ready and where is your partner?" she asked worriedly. Ginny shot Draco (still curled around her ankles) a withering glower and stood, dragging Draco out from the table.

"My partner is the reason we aren't getting ready." Ginny explained. Skye rolled her eyes and smirked. "I won't ask. Suffice to say, though, if you two aren't ready within the next hour and a half, there will be hell to pay." She stormed off in a very teacher-like dramatic fashion, ignoring Draco's comment of "what's the price?". She had things to frenzy over and people to hasten.

Heather gasped, sucking in a breath. "Too tight…too tight…" she breathed as Ginny worked furiously to undo the strings on the shirt Heather was wearing. Heather let out a huge sigh as the corset-like shirt loosened. "Much better." She breathed as Ginny tied it up again.

She admired herself in the mirror they'd enlarged in the girl's bathroom, the one closest to the Great Hall, which had been cleared for the performance tonight.

Heather had had a blast designing the clothes; mostly because she could really go all out with them. For her and Blaise, they'd decided on black and warm colors, predominantly red, to match the tango-esque beat to their dance.

Heather's fingers traced over the thin, soft material of her red and orange skirt, cut at the knees so she wouldn't trip when dancing. She was wearing a billowing red button-down under the black tank top Ginny was currently struggling with. It was only an hour or so until the dance and they still hadn't done anything with her hair or her make-up.

Ginny patted Heather on the back, her laces done up and ready to go. "Excellent. All done here." She said, running around the bathroom in her knickers and a loose white gypsy shirt. Heather watched her friend rush about with amusement while pulling on her black slippers. "Urgh!" Ginny groaned, sifting through a pile of clothes. "Where the ruddy hell is my dress?" she groaned again.

Heather glanced over at a green piece of clothing hanging precariously on the stall to a bathroom. "Gin?" she asked, pointing to the cloth. Ginny hurriedly snatched it up and pulled it on over her head. "Hattie! Help!" Ginny cried as her arms got stuck in the dress. Heather rolled her eyes and went over to help Ginny get untangled from her dress.

The door to the girl's bathroom creaked open slightly.

Heather couldn't suppress the grin forming on her lips. She threw her gaze over to the door. "Blaise, for the tenth time, go away! We're still not dressed and boyfriends or not, you and Draco aren't allowed to see us prancing around in our knickers.

The door closed again, accompanied by Ginny's "prance for yourself…I don't prance around in my knickers…". Heather shook her head. "Boys. Horny, hormonal, perverted bunch, the lot of them…" she muttered as she tugged the green fabric down over Ginny's head. She stepped back to admire her own handiwork.

The bodice of the dress had thin straps and was tight across Ginny's rather flat chest. The skirt started low at her hips and swirled around her calves. The almost-olive, somewhat emerald dress was made of a light material whose color and fabric complimented Ginny's red hair and pale frame.

Heather gave Ginny a thumb's up before seating herself down at the make-shift 'vanity' they'd set up in front of the mirror. They pretty much had the whole bathroom to themselves; all the other girls had obsessed and fretted over their own appearance ages ago. Heather sifted through the cosmetics they'd managed to bum off Lavender and Padma. Nicked, really… "Lipstick?" she shouted to Ginny, who was pinning her short hair up in different, random places, so that it stuck up and out, giving her head soft spikes. "Red." Ginny hollered back. "Shadow?" Heather called, sorting through many tins of powder. "Red!" Ginny yelled back, poking herself in the head with a hair pin. "Paint?" Heather nearly knocked over a bunch of glass bottles of many colors. Ginny rolled her eyes. "Red, red, red!" she screamed, pushing silver teardrops through her earring holes.

Heather mocked her behind her back as she hastily applied some makeup. Ginny waved her wand and readjusted a loose strap on her dress. "Lipstick?" Heather called again, her own face already made-up. "None." Ginny called back. Heather rolled her eyes and set aside some lip gloss. "Shadow?" "None, I don't have time for all that!" Ginny exclaimed as she pinned her hair up in several more places, adding a few emerald and silver clips before casting a spell on it to keep it intact.

Heather was about to make some sort of comment when the door creaked open slightly. She rolled her eyes. "That's it." She muttered, pointing her wand at the door and murmuring something under her breath. Seconds later, the door flew open and two well-dressed young men fell sheepishly into the room. Ginny laughed. "Blaise, get your smarmy body off my boyfriend!" she shouted playfully, as Blaise reached up and started threading hands through Draco's hair.

Bad idea.

Draco shoved him off him, looking violently ill. "You're sick, Zabini!" he scowled as Blaise broke up into laughter, much of which Ginny was echoing. Draco turned his glare up to his lovely red-haired counterpart. "Oh, and what exactly, is so bloody hilarious? Eh? You find it amusing that your lover is being fondled by another man?"

If his intentions were to stop Ginny from laughing, they were sorely misused. Ginny fell against Heather, cackling hysterically. Draco just rolled his eyes, getting to his feet. He offered a hand to Blaise, who ignored it, his eyes riveted to Heather.

"You…" he started, his voice a tad bit high. He cleared his throat. "You look…" he paused, this time lost for words. Draco rolled his eyes. "You look terrific, Heather." He supplied for him

Blaise sent Draco the famous trademark 'death glare', standing up and striding over to Heather to smother her in a surprisingly passionate kiss. Ginny (who was still leaning on Heather) moaned and ran over to Draco, her hands over her eyes. "I'm scarred…that's it, I'm scarred for life. That image is going to be imprinted on the undersides of my eyelids for all eternity. I'm dooooooomed!" she cried, burying her head in Draco's chest.

Draco grinned and lifted Ginny's face to his, covering her mouth with his. All thoughts of Blaise and Heather kissing rapidly left her mind as Draco moved his lips lightly over hers. Ginny sighed contentedly, reaching up and wrapping her arms around Draco's neck, pressing herself closer to him.

He moaned and moved a hand instinctively to run through her hair. The pins and charm on her hair made it more than a bit impossible. He broke away from her lips, pulling his hands down and looking somewhat sheepish. For a Malfoy. "Sorry…" he said rather lamely. "…didn't mean to jump on you there…"

Ginny smirked…his smirk… "Was I complaining?" she asked mischievously. A groaned 'eew' from behind them made them laugh and turn to see Heather making stomach-emptying motions. She stopped, noticing she had the attention of everyone in the room. Moaning Myrtle watched with interest from her stall.

Heather turned on Blaise and Draco, poking them both in the chest with her forefinger. "And you two! We have still not finished dressing; not even in the two minutes you allotted us since your last visit, so bugger off!"

With that (and a little help from Ginny), Blaise and Draco were physically removed from the girl's bathroom. Blaise turned a questioning glace up to Draco. "Did we…?" he said, pointing to the door. Draco caught his meaning. "Two minutes ago?" he asked. Blaise nodded. "No." Blaise arched an eyebrow at Draco's statement before following him back to their 'dressing room'.

A dark pair of eyes watched them from the shadows.

Skye screamed, her head landing in her hands.

Janet watched on, her pale arms crossed over her chest, eyes dancing with amusement. Skye started banging her head on the desk she was seated at. Janet cocked an eyebrow and examined her fingernails, painted a deep blue.

"Honestly, Skye…" Janet said softly as Skye groaned loudly "…it's only a dance." She said, trying to keep a straight face. Skye's bulging eyes made it difficult. "Only a dance? ONLY A DANCE?" She bellowed. "I have put hours and hours into getting these kids motivated and prepared…they've spent hours and hours pretending to work on this thing…if I mess up, I'm letting everyone down!" With a dramatic twirl, she stood from her chair and plopped down into the one Janet was seated in. "The world is ending." She whimpered.

Bringing her arms up around Skye, Janet bit her lip to keep from laughing. Skye was so easy to get wound up sometimes. Janet must have been shaking with contained laughter because after a few moments, Skye turned an accusatory face up to Janet's own suspiciously blank one. "You evil little mutant buggerslut!" She shouted, though even she was unable to stop the grin from sliding to her lips. Janet shrugged. "You were begging for it; I know this dance is a big thing, but you really can't work yourself up like this."

Skye sighed, turning around so her back was up against Janet's front, whose arms were wrapped around her. Janet moved her hands up to Skye's shoulders and began massaging them in soothing little ministrations.

Ginny groaned in frustration. Heather tried to look up from the corner of her eye; but being unable to move her head made that more or less impossible. "What?" she asked, glancing up as far as possible. Behind her; her hands full with Heather's long thick hair, Ginny groaned again, letting it all fall back down her back.

"Damn. I forgot your hairpiece." She smacked herself on the forehead, instantly regretting it as she slammed the ornament from her headdress into her palm and forehead. "Stay here." She ordered, rubbing her head. Heather was about to object, but rationalized with the fact that she still had half her hair to hold up.

Ginny pulled the hairpins from her mouth and hurriedly exited the room, heading up to Gryffindor tower. Stupid stupid stupid. She thought to herself as she ascended the stairs two at a time. She raced down the hallways and up more stairs until she was out of breath and standing in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. Her hands were on her knees as she panted out the password ("Rumbus Nocturn") to the Fat Lady.

She raced up the spiraled stairs to Heather's dorm room. She hit herself on the forehead again as she saw Heather's red and gold headdress lying inconspicuously on the girl's bedspread. Grumbling to herself, she snatched up the headdress and ran with it back the way she came. Luckily, she thought, if she ran fast she could make it back with some time to spare.

Unluckily, someone was determined to make sure she wouldn't make it.

…

Draco had had enough.

"Blaise…you admire your arse in the mirror one more time and I'm telling Heather she has some serious competition." He growled as Blaise whirled around from where he'd been dancing in front of the mirror. "I wasn't-" he cut off lamely. Draco rolled his eyes. "And you managed not to appear gay for seven years how?" he asked dryly.

Blaise turned and gave him a sly wink.

"Sex appeal, Malfoy…sex appeal."

…

Ginny raced down the steps, feet barely touching the edge of them. All that was on her mind was getting to Heather and getting her ready before Skye came looking for them with murder on her mind.

So naturally, she didn't notice the dark shadow that waited ahead at the next corner, blended in well with other shadows. Ginny was already halfway by when an arm snaked out and a hand grabbed her around her wrist. She dropped the headdress in surprise and fell into the stranger's arms.

She looked up…into a pair of eyes glassed over with intoxication. Eyes that had laughed with her, lusted for her, and leered at her all in turn. Eyes that used to haunt her. Dean's eyes. Ice cold terror slipped over her, starting at her head and working its way down her body 'til she was rigid with it, frozen in place.

Dean was swaying uneasily on his feet and Ginny could still smell the alcohol on him. It was like that night all over again. She saw barely contained violence written all over him, starting with the bruising grasp he had on her arm. She started to shake and cower when a voice sounded in her head.

It was a calming, comforting, encouraging voice…the voice of reason…oddly enough it was Draco's voice. As she listened to it, something strange happened. Why should she be frightened, after all? What claim to her feelings did Dean have anymore? Draco was the one she cared for now. Draco was the one who influenced her feelings. Sure, Dean was frightening when he got like this…but wasn't she more than a match for him? Once she stopped cowering like some Hufflepuff, that is.

Even as Dean began to slide hands down her back, she stilled, thinking to herself that Draco was more inside her head than she thought she'd ever like him…strangely though, it was comforting rather than mind-bogglingly disturbing.

And then Ginny did something she thought she'd never do this close to Dean again…she laughed. Apparently Dean took this as encouragement and slipped hands down to her arse. He was on his back in seconds, the imprints of her knuckles beginning to redden on his cheek. Ginny was standing over him, shaking her head and laughing to herself. "Gods, I am such an idiot…" she thought, slightly amused at her own stupidity.

Dean got to his feet, rubbing his jaw. "Bloody hell!" he growled, glaring at her now. She stood before him unfazed...after all, she was no longer a scared shit-less fourth year and she had apparently just gotten over her case of Deanaphobia…there was the added bonus that he was smashed off his rocker…

"Listen, Dean. I'm going to say this once more, simply for the fact that we used to be friends and I would hate to have to pound a friend's head into the ground for being such a berk." She said, slowly and calmly, pulling her wand from her robes and twirling it around her fingers idly.

He said nothing, just continued to glare at her and watch her wand warily with drunken eyes. She took this as indication to go ahead. "I am not yours. There may have been a time where it was considered, but that time was long past and short-lived. I am with someone else right now, and you're just going to have to accept that and go seek love and life with someone else. You don't concern me anymore…and I'd like it if you get over this possessive kick that makes you think I'm going to come and fling myself sobbingly into your arms. Because I'm not. I'm sorry if you can't understand that." She shrugged her shoulders, feeling rather accomplished at having given her little speech without swearing, insulting him, bringing up Draco's name, or hexing him into oblivion.

Dean was, evidently, somewhat less impressed. Ginny jumped at the loud "Incendio!" from behind her and even more so at the white-hot flash of heat that grazed her leg. She looked down to see the hem of her dress had caught on fire. She hissed a quick spell to put it out and then glared up at Dean.

"What the ruddy buggering shite was that for?" she hissed, sounding very Draco. Dean leered at her, swaying slightly. "You're mine." He finally managed, as if trying to remember his reasoning. Ginny rolled her eyes, anger beginning to trickle through her veins.

"I do not belong to anyone, least of all you." She spat harshly. "Leave me alone." She said, her voice wearing dangerously low. She turned once more to leave, praying she would be able to do so without further ado.

It would seem that whatever gods she was praying to were either offended by her or were out of town. "Impedimenta!" Ginny threw herself to the ground just as a flash soared over her head. Anger was now bubbling under her skin as she stood again, eyes narrowed at the figure before her.

"Give it up, Ginny. We both know you're not happy with him. He's a Slytherin, for chrissakes, and a Malfoy. Come back to me…I'll forgive you…take you back." Ginny glared fiercely. "Wait, wait, wait…you'll take me back?" a hint of sarcasm traced her words as they flew from her mouth.

"YOU'RE NOT IN THE POSITION TO BE FORGIVING…YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE GROVELLING AND BEGGING FOR MY FORGIVENESS!" she screamed. Taking in a deep breath, she continued in slightly less raised tones. "But I won't give it. Because I'm happy with Draco. And that's all there is to it. And I suggest, that this time you don't try to curse me." She warned as she turned around again.

She made it about ten feet when Dean's voice rang out again. This time she was ready…anticipating it. As his curse flew over her shoulder, she whipped her wand out and cried out, "Densaugeo!". It hit Dean square in the face.

Ginny watched as Dean's front teeth grew longer and longer, growing down past his chin. Ginny watched in a kind of morbid fascination. She shook herself, feeling slightly guilty. She walked over to Dean and wrenched his wand out of his hand, flinging it over her shoulder. She raised her hand and slapped him once across the cheek.

"That's quite enough from you." She spat, palm stinging. "Now I want you to leave me alone…because if I ever see you near me…looking at me in any way I don't care for…if you ever touch me…I will make you wish you had never laid eyes on me." She said harshly.

Dean's eyes were wide over the hands trying to conceal his beaver-like teeth. For once, the roles were turned and it was he who was afraid of her. As he should be…Ginny Weasley was not one to screw with.

As Ginny walked away from the astounded Dean, she felt as though a lifelong bond had been lifted. She felt free and liberated and felt like running all over the place and jumping and dancing…

Her eyes widened comically. "Oh, shit!" she screamed suddenly, setting off at such a fast pace that she didn't hear Snape scream from behind her, "Language, Miss Weasley!" Ginny was mentally berating herself for taking her sweet time…the dance!

She was incredibly late now…glancing at her watch, she realized that if everything had gone accordingly, that she and Draco were supposed to be dancing right now! Speeding up, Ginny was grateful for the light feeling that had come with finally breaking her fear of Dean…she was speeding out-of-control now, dashing down hallway after hallway that passed in a blur.

…

Draco was panicking now.

Ginny was nowhere to be found. Skye had come into the boys' dressing room, telling Draco to go get Ginny; they were going on in a few minutes. Problem was, when he entered the girls' dressing room, Heather was sitting there, holding her hair up halfheartedly. She had turned to Draco, asking where Ginny was.

That was when he started to get nervous. Skye had come in, looking for the next performing couple. She seemed perturbed that Ginny was missing, but her first priority was the dance. She called Blaise and Heather out onto the stage in Draco and Ginny's place with a simple explanation to the awaiting audience.

That had been five minutes ago. And now Draco was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Skye told him to stay put and wait for his red-headed partner and under no circumstances was he to leave to go look for her.

Draco was seriously contemplating just walking out the door when something slammed into the door with a thump from the other side. He heard a muffled groan and then the door flew open and Ginny fell into the room, grumbling to herself. "Brilliant, Weasley. Turn knob first, then push on door." She murmured to herself cynically.

Draco rushed over to her with the speed of light. "Where have you been? What took you so long? Where did you run off to? Why is your skirt burned? Why-" Ginny pressed her lips to Draco's, whether in an attempt to shut him up or to express her barely controlled glee, even she wasn't sure.

Draco stumbled backwards, wrapping his arms around her. Ginny kissed him soundly, grinning inanely. She pulled away, beaming up at him. "I did it!" she smiled. "I stood up to Dean! I'm not afraid of him anymore!" the changes of expression Draco had gone through was astounding, and now he was stuck on a ridiculously goofy grin. He picked her up and hugged her tightly.

Ginny would have been content on staying there, comfortable in his arms, were it not for the fact that two rather breathless-looking people burst into the room at that moment, a blast of applause and chatter coming in with them. "Ginny!" Heather breathed a sigh of relief. Blaise was staring at the two of them anxiously however. "What're you two still doing here? You're up!"