Sorry it's been so long for an update. A combination of work, Christmas, laziness and being glued to the TV and the tsunami crisis have contributed. Ityped this in front of the TVand wanted to post it tonight soplease ignore any spelling/grammatical errors!

3. Dancing in the Moonlight

'Thank bloody Merlin that's over,' Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair, making it messier than usual.

'Mmm,' Ginny agreed. 'I think Ludo surpassed himself this time. His speech went for a record 25 and a ½ minutes.' She took another sip of her champagne. There'd been over an hour of speeches and they'd worked their way through two bottles of champagne. Needless to say, Ginny was a little … tipsy.

'Ah, food, excellent,' Oliver said, leaning back in his chair and indicating the approaching waiters with a nod of his head.

Two waiters bustled around them and deposited their entrees. As with all League events there was a set menu and no choice. Ginny looked in distaste at what had been put in front of her. Harry had promised her free food, but it wasn't very good food.

'Give me steak and chips any day,' Harry said, poking the wilted spinach tentatively with his fork.

'You can say that again.'

After a half-hearted attempt at their meal and another bottle of champagne their spirits were high. The band had started and there were already quite a few couples already dancing.

'Well, Gin, should we hit the dance floor?' Harry asked, standing and offering Ginny his hand.

'Sounds great. Can you look after yourself Oliver?'

'I think I can manage.' Oliver smiled at them.

Ginny took Harry's hand and he led her out to the dancefloor.

'So, are you glad you came?' Harry asked her as they swayed to the music.

'Yes,' Ginny rolled her eyes. 'I'm having fun. Happy?'

'Very.' Harry chuckled. 'How's the champagne going down? Going to give anyone a lap dance this evening?'

Ginny sneered at him. 'If you must know, everything's a little shiny right now. But no, I'm not going to give anyone a lap dance. Thanks for telling Oliver about that little lapse of judgement by the way.' She poked him in the chest indignantly.

'Hey you deserved it. I didn't cry when Puddlemere beat us.'

'Sure you didn't.'

'I didn't,' Harry protested.

'Harry, you were on the ground with your head in your hands,' Ginny told him witheringly. 'I saw tears.'

'It was sweat.'

'Must have been,' Ginny gave up, laughing.

'So you and Oliver seemed to be getting along well.' There was a suggestive note in Harry's voice, but Ginny missed it.

'Yeah, it's been fun catching up, hasn't it? He used to be at the Burrow all the time during Summer holidays. That was ages ago, though - I've grown up a lot since then.'

'Mmm, I think Oliver noticed that the most.' He smirked at her.

'Excuse me?' Ginny spluttered, finally catching on.

'Oh come on. Even I noticed the looks he was giving you – especially your boobs.'

'Harry! God, I can't believe you just said that!'

'What?! It's true!'

Ginny reveled for a moment in the fact that a hot Quidditch captain had checked her out and felt a little violated. Then again, she had checked out his arse so she figured it was fair enough.

'That's interesting,' Ginny said finally. 'Doesn't he have a girlfriend.'

'Not that I know of,' Harry replied. 'And he didn't have a date tonight, that's a start. So, are you keen?'

Ginny sighed. Harry's favourite past time was matchmaking and she really didn't want to deal with it tonight. 'Can we not talk about this right now? Why do you have to try and set me up with every male I cross paths with? Oliver's not interested in me that way.'

'This time is different,' Harry protested.

'Whatever,' she replied disbelievingly. They danced in silence for a few minutes.

'You totally killed the buzz from the champagne, dude,' Ginny said, breaking the awkward silence and laughing. After all, he did mean well.

Harry laughed too. 'I'm sorry, Gin. I just want to see you happy.'

'Oh Merlin. Don't get all cheesy on me please.'

'May I cut in?' Oliver had approached.

'Uh, no, sorry mate.' Harry kept a firm grip on Ginny.

'Harry!' Ginny scolded him.

'What? Part of the deal for you coming tonight was that I didn't palm you off onto one of my sleazy teammates.'

'Oliver's not one of your sleazy teammates, Harry,' Ginny told him.

'No, but he is sleazy.' Harry gave Oliver a mock apologetic look and looked innocently back at Ginny.

'Go away,' she sighed, breaking their embrace and shooing him away with a wave of her hand.

'Hey, I'm just looking out for you, Gin,' he protested, backing away. 'I see a blond over there I'd rather be dancing with anyway.' He gave Ginny a pointed look from behind Oliver's back.

Ginny rolled her eyes as she and Oliver started to dance. 'Merlin, he's annoying. Sometimes I want to strangle him, but then I think of the repercussions. If only it weren't for the psychotic groupies, I think I'd do it.'

'Ah, yes. Groupies. They can get pretty feisty sometimes,' Oliver told her knowledgably.

Ginny giggled. 'Yes, I suppose you would have your own fair share of groupies.'

'Yeah, and an unnerving number of them are male.' Oliver confided and Ginny gave an unlady like snort of laughter.

'So have you had a good night?' she asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

'Yeah, apart from the speeches and the food. It's been great seeing you guys again. We'll have to do it more often.'

'Definitely,' Ginny agreed, smiling. 'We'll have to hit up Hogsmeade sometime, just for old time's sake.'

'Sounds good.'

'Oh God, here we go,' Ginny said, looking over Oliver's shoulder, and stopped dancing. 'Looks like Harry's found himself a shag for this evening.' Harry was headed their way with a blond girl practically draped over him.

'Hey, Gin, all right if we go?' He gave her a pleading look.

'But we've only just started dancing.' Ginny pouted, eager to irritate Harry. 'I don't want to go home yet.'

He increased the puppy dog eyes. 'I just don't want you left here by yourself.'

'I'll make sure she gets home okay,' Oliver volunteered, much to Harry's obvious relief.

'Thanks a million, Ol. You're a champ,' Harry told him quickly, and with a cheeky wink at the both of them, he and his 'date' left.

'See what I have to live with?' Ginny told him. 'Thanks, by the way. I really didn't want to go home with … that.'

'No problem.' Oliver smiled as they continued dancing. After a couple more songs Oliver leaned closer to her. 'Don't look now, but Ludo Bagman's coming and he only has eyes for you.'

'Oh God, oh God. Okay, we're leaving.' She and Oliver hurried in the opposite direction, leaving behind a confused looking Ludo. They hurried out around the other side of the marquee and into the open field.

'It's a nice night for a stroll. What do you say we walk around Muggle London for a while. I can't imagine you want to go home anytime soon.'

'No, not really,' Ginny said gratefully. 'Muggle London sounds great.'

Ginny linked her arm through his as they Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and then headed out it's front door into the early Autumn evening.

Two hours later, Oliver and Ginny were standing outside her door. All was quiet upstairs, for which Ginny was thankful, but she didn't really want her night with Oliver to end. She'd had a great time, just talking and walking.

'Thanks so much for tonight. It would have been pretty lonely if it weren't for you,' she said.

'I could say the same to you. We should do it again sometime soon; I had a good time' He was staring at her with those damn blue eyes of his and making her slightly nervous.

'Me too,' she said, and racked her brain for something to fill the awkward silence. She could ask him upstairs, but that was a bit presumptuous and not at all her style.

'Anyway,' she said. 'Thanks again.' She stood on tiptoe and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before muttering a quick 'goodnight' and running through her front door.

''Night,' Oliver told the door bemusedly before turning on his heel and practically skipping down Diagon Alley, a silly grin on his face.

On the other side of the door, Ginny's face wore the same silly grin.