Chapter Text
Ginny walked into the ballet studio in the early morning. As the door closed behind her, her eyes fell on the guy standing at the counter of the receptionist, chatting about something. His dark hair was windswept, despite the lack of wind outside. He ran a hand through it as he talked, messing up the locks even more. He was tall with an unmistakable dancers build with strong but precise muscles. Even his fingers seemed to do a dance of their own as he reached the nape of his neck. His hand landed on the counter again, fingers drumming against the wood.
He paused his conversation and his eyes turned to her. They were an unusual green, it was a striking colour against his dark brows and dark long eyelashes that made her jealous. As their eyes locked, he offered her a lopsided grin in greeting, one she returned with a teasing smile of her own. Ginny had never put much stock in the whole love-at-first-sight thing, but as she swept past him to look at the noticeboard, she admitted to herself it was a bit of an instant crush. There was simply something about him.
Several people were already by the noticeboard, discussing the selection of dancers for their next big show ‘The Lady of Daisies’.
“I can’t believe they didn’t select an in-house male lead,” Draco said with a sneer.
Ginny couldn’t quite see yet who they had selected, so she turned to Colin. “Who did they choose?”
“Harry Potter.”
“What?!” she let out.
She only knew Harry Potter by name. His name signified he could only be the offspring of the Potter family, known for their top-tier but painfully expensive pointe shoes, and Lily Evans, retired ballerina and Ginny’s idol of sorts. Harry was not a part of the company, so they must have hired him to play the male lead for his name. Combining that with the fact that he was a man, made that he had seen the inside of a ballet studio perhaps all of ten times if they were lucky.
Ginny had to fight for her spot and pay the expensive ballet classes to get there and be good enough to be part of the elite group. She could not imagine he had to struggle all that much. There was always a shortage of men, and so they needed to meet much fewer requirements to join. Harry could have zero skill, and his casting for the male lead reeked of nepotism. Therefore, Ginny decided to hate him on principle.
“Well,” she continued. “I feel bad for the poor lead who has to suffer through his inexperience!”
Lee chuckled. “That’d be you.”
She blanched. “What?”
Colin dragged her up to the noticeboard. Demelza stepped aside and pointed at the top of the sheet. There is stood. Daisy Blackthorn, Ginny Weasley.
“You got it!” Demelza said.
Pansy stood a little bit away, staring at the sheet too. She had been cast as Servant 3, and she didn’t look very happy about it.
“I’m the lead!”
Demelza nodded eagerly and wrapped her into a hug. “You are!”
She stepped back from Demelza and wafted fresh air into her face. “Oh my. Wow.” It was only a dream come true. “Wow.” Her gaze returned to the paper. “Who are my other two suitors?” She tracked down the names, hoping to find a stranger’s name. The mysterious stranger she had crossed earlier per chance.
“Me,” Colin said. “I’m suitor number two.”
“Really?” She pivoted towards him. “But you’re so young!”
Colin gasped, offended. “I am the same age as you.”
She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. “Are you?”
“Yes,” he deadpanned.
“I’m officially old,” Dora complained. “I play your mother.”
Ginny bit back her grin. “I know that sucks, but I am really thrilled about that. Who is your husband?”
“Wood,” she said. “Suppose that’s alright.”
“Wood’s my dad?” She clapped excitedly. They were both excellent dancers, and she would enjoy working with them.
Pansy and Draco stood off to the side, throwing her sideways glances, but they could not dampen her mood, much as Mr Incompetence would be unable too.
They streamed into the big hall to discuss the schedule. A few people congratulated her in passing as they all sat down. Demelza sat beside her. Ginny couldn’t help the smile on her face, still in disbelief.
She saw the guy with the black hair and green eyes enter the room, which meant at least he would be part of the show. Perhaps he was even suitor 1—she could only hope.
The director of the ballet company walked into the room. Minerva McGonagall stopped in front of the group and looked at her clipboard. “Welcome all, and thank you for being on time,” she said with an unimpressed look towards the door as three more dancers slipped into the room. “This season as you all know, we will be performing four times a week, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturday and the matinee on Sundays. But before that, there will need to be hundreds and hundreds of rehearsals. Ensemble rehearsal in the mornings, so everyone needs to be present. In the afternoon we have focus groups according to your own schedules.”
It would be a lot of hard work, but Ginny was ready for it.
“Now I will introduce to you our lead dancers. Lady Daisy Blackthorn, Ginny Weasley.” McGonagall gestured for her to stand up.
Ginny quickly jumped up and joined at the front.
“Then we have Harry Potter as Lord Amaranth,” she continued.
Ginny scanned the room for Harry Potter. She noticed the black-haired, gorgeous man move and then, to her horror, she realised that him and Harry Potter were one and the same person as he walked up to the front too.
He offered her another smile as he joined her, but she pretended not to notice.
“And then we have Dora Tonks and Oliver Wood as Lord and Lady Blackthorn. Congratulations to all who have been cast. You’ll get your personalised schedules in your mailbox soon, including fittings so please take good care of noting those down. Now chop chop, off to your classes!”
Ginny turned to Dora and smiled.
“Wife,” Oliver Wood greeted Dora.
McGonagall cleared her throat. “Weasley.”
She turned around.
“This is Mr Potter, as you may have already guessed. We are very honoured to have him here for The Lady of Daisies. Harry, this is Ginny Weasley, one of our most talented dancers.”
He held out his hand so she shook it, squeezing firmly. It didn’t matter he was the most perfect man she had ever laid her eyes on, it would not change her opinion on the Harry Potter, she was not that superficial.
Her cold expression seemed to deter him somewhat and he cast his eyes down. She released the hold of his hand and turned back to McGonagall.
“I can’t wait to get started, we have a lot of work ahead of us,” Ginny said with a glance towards Potter.
“I am glad to hear it.”
They started picking up their items, the rest had already left when McGonagall called her back.
“Your audition was really impressive and really cemented it. You will be made a principal dancer now, with Daisy to start,” she told Ginny
“Really!?” That would mean more lead roles were on the horizon for her. It had been her dream for years, but she knew it was only reserved for the lucky, hard-working, few.
“I am counting on you.”
She nodded assuredly. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.” McGonagall straightened out her vest. “I’m proud of you, Weasley. I know how hard you’ve worked for this, and I believe you’re ready.”
McGonagall wasn’t one for empty compliments, that much Ginny knew. “Thank you.”
With an approving nod, the director watched as Ginny exited the hall. She fished her phone out of her bag and dialled her mum. Her parents had been the one to support her ballet dreams, despite the fact that the fees were high and they could barely afford them at the time.
“Hello?” her mother’s voice came.
Ginny was giddy to tell her mum. “Hi mum, it’s me. I got the lead and I am a principal dancer now,” she rambled.
“For The Lady of Daisies?” her mum asked excitedly.
“Yes!” she replied.
“Oh, that is amazing news!” her mum said. “I am so so proud of you. Get us all tickets for the premier, the whole family is coming—I’ll make them!”
Ginny breathed in, feeling elated. “As soon as we can buy tickets I’ll reserve some. I have to run to practice now, I just wanted to tell you first!”
“That is lovely. Take care, dear, and practise well! Bye!”
“Bye,” Ginny said softly. She tucked her phone away and walked quickly to the practice room, energised to start working.
The following morning they had the first ensemble practice. Ginny arrived early to start warm-ups before. There were a few more people in there already warming up and stretching too.
A few of them stood in group, chatting together as they worked through their exercises. Colin was one of them and waved her over. Harry was there too, but she reluctantly joined. She was going to have to work together with him regardless.
“Since Harry is new, we were all introducing ourselves!” Colin announced happily.
Dora, who was to her right, nodded. “I just finished, so it is your turn.”
“Great,” she commented. “Let’s see…I am Ginny Weasley. I have been dancing since I was two, started ballet when I was four. Since then it was always my dream to become a professional ballet dancer. It was scary and difficult to move into the city, and rent is a bitch.”
Demelza chuckled at that and nodded in agreement.
“But luckily it all worked out. I will probably keep dancing until my joints give out. It’s so great to come together with so many hardworking dancers.” She looked around the group of people, pointedly not bothering to glance at Harry. “When I am not dancing, I am sleeping or watching a film, I just love a good film. That’s all.” She looked to her left. “Colin, I think you’re up.”
Colin started introducing himself. He seemed so eager to get along with everyone, including Harry. It was endearing, but Ginny could not relate. As Colin talked, she watched Harry carefully to see what stretches he was doing. It appeared he seemed to know what he was doing, which reassured her somewhat. After all she would need to trust him to support her and lift her, and she’d rather not be injured by someone else’s incompetence.
Harry took a deep breath when it was his turn. “I am Harry Potter. Even before I started classes, I was copying my mum. We’d do little dance recitals in the living room for my dad.”
That was entirely adorable. She hated it.
“I must have been five when I started going to classes. My mum always said I didn’t need to follow in her footsteps, but it was all I knew. When I wasn’t dancing, I was helping my dad and grandpa in the workshop making pointe shoes. Ballet is my life.” He shrugged. “I can’t imagine doing something else.”
So he was not incompetent after all, Ginny concluded. She could not put her trust in him yet, nepotism was at play, but it would not become a complete disaster.
“Is that how your parents met?” Demelza asked.
He nodded, smiling fondly. “She came into the shop; she had met my grandpa a few times but somehow always missed my dad… He was eager to impress her, showed her around the workshop, brought her a new pair of shoes when someone had messed with the old ones and worked with her on improving her shoes. One thing led to another…”
“That’s adorable,” Demelza commented. “And you’re following in both their footsteps?”
“Yes,” he said, his green eyes brightening. “When I retire from ballet, I have the pointe shoes waiting for me. My grandpa is getting older now, my dad is taking over, and I’ll be able to step in too.”
“Why did you not join Hogwarts as a dancer? You’re just a guest one, right?”
“Ginny!” Dora warned lightly.
“What?” she went. “I can ask the question, can I not? His mum was our most successful dancer, it would make sense.”
She eyed Harry for his reply and they locked eyes. It was silent for a moment, no one else talked either.
“You’re right,” he told her. “When I started out professionally, Beauxbatons was our main client—Hogwarts doesn’t buy the Potter shoes by default—and it made sense for me to go there. I am so glad though that I get to perform with Hogwarts, I have always wanted to be a part of this too.”
They locked eyes again, as if he wanted to check if that reply met her approval. She glanced away and remained silent.
“Poor Harry is getting questioned, and he just got here,” Oliver remarked.
Gwenog Jones, who would be coordinating the big group dances, walked in with five minutes until the rehearsal. A big group of people had already arrived, but some were still streaming in.
“Good morning!” Gwenog shouted. “For those who don’t know me, I am Gwenog Jones! If you enter through the door after me, you are considered late! You need to be here on time, you need to be warmed up and ready to go! I am not babysitting you, make sure you can keep up.”
Ginny watched as Harry took off his top layers to start the rehearsal. He was taller than most of their male dancers—safe for Oliver Wood. Even through his shirt, she could easily see the muscles in his shoulders ripple as he moved. His arms were lean and strong. Knowing better than to let her gaze linger on his gorgeous biceps, her eyes tracked down past his, perfect, waist and down to his thighs showing under his shorts. His thighs were lean and strong, and she wouldn’t mind if they were wrapped around her—
She snapped out of her reverie. He was still a nepo-baby. On top of that, they came from vastly different backgrounds too. He was swimming in the riches of the Potter Emporium, that had somehow combined the sales of hair wax and hairspray with ballet shoes, capitalising on two major needs of dancers.
She, on the other hand, had a tiny studio apartment she had been hardly able to afford when she started out here and had to sacrifice a lot to even make it here. She couldn’t imagine he had made many sacrifices. It didn’t matter how nice his thighs were, that didn’t negate all the rest. Neither did the little story about the dance recitals. He probably made that up too.
She watched him from her peripheral vision for most of rehearsal, but he was keeping up just fine. That should have given her some peace of mind, but she couldn’t settle the feeling that something must be off about him.
In the afternoon, Ginny had the first rehearsal with her ‘suitors’.
During the first part of the story, Daisy is meeting with suitors, knowing full well that her parents do not approve of her getting married. She meets with three, intent on keeping her promise to her parents. She has no interest in men, but she is expected to marry by society and so it is the polite thing to meet these men.
The first two meetings go well, she has no interest in suitor 1 or 2 and thanks them for their time, but suitor 3, Lord Amaranth changes everything for Daisy.
Ginny walked up to Colin and Lee, who would play the two suitors. “Ah, if it isn’t my favourite suitors!” she greeted them.
Lee let out a chuckle but Colin gestured subtly behind her, as if she didn’t know that Harry was right there. She did not care; she did not know him and she had nothing to prove to him.
Colin walked up to her. “He is probably a prodigy; ballet is in his genes!” he whispered.
“You can have anything genetic, ballet is hard work. It never just drops into your lap even if you’re predisposed. I don’t have to trust him just because he’s bloody Harry Potter,” she explained in a hushed whisper.
Colin scoffed. “Well, I think he’s cool, and you’re being petty.” He walked past Ginny and up to Harry, greeting him amicably and shaking his hand.
Lee offered her a sympathetic smile.
“Am I wrong?”
“No, but…” He sighed, shaking his head lightly. “It is important to be able to trust your partners, I know, but you have to give him a chance to prove himself either way.” He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “And don’t be a bully. You’re not Pansy.”
She had never meant to do that, but perhaps singling him out was not the way to go. She chewed her lip. “Maybe you have a point, but one misstep and I’m done with him.”
“That’s reasonable,” Lee agreed. “I am officially number one.”
“Suitor 1. Quickly discarded while Daisy moves on. Unable to captivate her.”
Lee admitted defeat. “Damn. You have your claws out today.” He squinted at her. “You are not PMS-ing, are you?”
“Lee, you bastard. You better run.”
The moment she stepped forward, he took off and she ran after him, trying to catch him.
“You don’t ask a girl that unless you want to die!” Ginny yelled at him as he leapt behind the barre.
Lee grinned at him. “You didn’t say I’m wrong!” And then he was running again.
She cursed under her breath and resumed her pursuit. She had just jumped onto his back when their instructor entered.
“Sirius!” she greeted from on Lee’s back.
“Good afternoon, miss Weasley.” Sirius put down his bag. “I would assume you started practice without me, but I don’t recall a piggyback being in the choreography.”
As she slipped down Lee’s back and landed back on the ground, Sirius shook his head smiling.
“I’m so happy you got Daisy, that is really just the role for you,” he told her.
Sirius was by far her favourite instructor at Hogwarts. He was hard-working and had an eye for detail, but he did not take himself too seriously. He had a good rapport with nearly everyone.
“Harry!” he then greeted Potter enthusiastically. “You have finally made it to Hogwarts.”
Harry smiled at him. “About time, I suppose.”
“I believe you have met Harry by now,” Sirius announced. “He’s my godson.”
Ginny had to work hard for her appalled expression not to slip over her face. The one instructor she completely trusted not only happened to know Harry but was his bloody godfather. They must be very well-acquainted. It seemed everyone was determined to like Harry.
“You’ll love working with Ginny,” Sirius told him. “She’s one of a kind, very hard-working, overall pleasant to be around.”
She wasn’t sure how she ended up being introduced to Harry and not the other way around.
Harry offered her somewhat of a hopeful expression. Her eyes slowly slipped back to Sirius. She was worried if she stared into his eyes for too long, she’d cave and she needed to be rational.
“So, for this part…” Sirius walked to the front of the room to talk to the four of them. “Daisy will have the two dances with the two men, proper, polite. Then she turns to Amaranth. The dance goes on and on, and her parents assume Amaranth is keeping her, but actually Daisy is the one unable to stop dancing. They’re pulled apart, Amaranth is left confused, unsure of Daisy’s intentions. That is the part that we will be working on today.”
To his credit, Harry was incredibly focused on memorising the steps and following along with Sirius’s instructions.
The parts where he was behind her, supporting her waist on turns was perfectly fine, but this part also involved a few closer scenes that involved looking into each other’s eyes. She still couldn’t shake the feeling about him, it remained as a tight knot in the pit of her stomach. The second half of the story would be far more intense when it came to the two of them, and Ginny did not look forward to starting on that.
After a long day of rehearsals, she quickly walked out to catch the bus, eager to get home.
“Hi! Would you like to participate in an interview about female-dominated fields?” Hermione asked Pansy, who had exited the building just in front of Ginny.
Pansy did not even offer a reply. She turned her nose up and walked away.
Hermione spotted Ginny and sighed with relief, lowering her clipboard with questions. “It’s just disheartening!”
“You were barking up the wrong tree,” Ginny told her. “Pansy hates… everyone.” She eyed the people exiting the building, finding a good candidate for Hermione.
Harry walked out of the door and hadn’t spotted her yet.
“That guy. His mum is a former ballet star. He’ll have a thing or two to say,” she said. “Good luck!” She patted her friend’s arm and then took off towards the bus stop.
She loved Hermione dearly, she really did, but she secretly hoped that Harry would at least be mildly inconvenienced. Hermione could get really intense about topics she liked.
Ginny had just settled on a seat in the bus when Luna called her.
“Hello,” she said.
“Bestie! Please tell me why you are getting your big break and you’re over here complaining about a random dude?”
She smiled. “He’s not a random dude. He’s, unfortunately, kind of a big deal.”
“In what way?” Luna asked, never losing the chipper tone in her voice.
“Every way!” she moaned. “And I can’t avoid him. He’s my Amaranth.”
Luna was silent for a moment. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“Yes, did you not read the synopsis I sent you?” Ginny asked. She looked out of the window.
Luna mumbled something. “Oh. Not yet.”
“So, Lady Daisy is expected to look for a husband, but her parents want to protect her and keep her safe. So while she does receive suitors, she knows it’s just to keep up appearances. She is not meant to marry any of them. She has no interest in them either, until Amaranth shows up.”
“Ooh, that sounds exciting,” Luna commented.
“They dance, and they are enraptured with each other. She sneaks out to meet him again. She then asks her parents to marry him. They say no and forbid her from seeing Amaranth again. They meet again in secret and concoct a plan. It’s difficult but she manages to escape with his help, and they run off into the sunset together. Very overly romantic, true love finds a way kind of story.”
“That’s cute,” she said. “Oh, and he’s your Amaranth. You have a lot of parts together.”
Ginny hummed in reply. “Yes.”
“Okay, what else? Give me the full rundown,” Luna said when she finished reading.
Ginny went on a long rant, about their very first encounter and then subsequently finding out his identity. She spoke about his mother and father and why that probably made him spoiled and entitled, even though Harry had not done anything to indicate this.
Luna was quiet the whole time she talked. “Yes,” she said then. “Is he that handsome?”
“Google him,” Ginny said with a sigh.
“Yes, I see,” Luna told her. It was silent for a moment. “Oh my. Have you seen him shirtless?”
“Not yet, but there is literally a shirtless scene in the second half.” She rubbed her temple, watching the light turn to red and the bus slowly came to a halt. “He’s a ballet dancer, so I know what to expect.”
“My condolences,” Luna quipped.
Ginny grimaced. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Has the man actually done or said anything wrong?” Luna asked her.
“I wish I could tell you that he has, but unfortunately not. And everyone else thinks he’s delightful.” She fiddled with the zipper of her bag. “What do you think?”
Luna let out a sigh. “Do you need someone in your corner right now, so you can complain about Mr Perfectly Annoying, or do you want me to tell you the truth?”
“Can’t they be one and the same thing?” she asked. She considered it, and she really did want Luna in her corner… Except she needed the truth more. They had weeks of rehearsal ahead of them, with many hours spent together and then all the performances. “I think I need the truth more.”
“I think it’s more professional jealousy than anything. Of course he has worked hard to make it where he is now, I think that is clear. But he had an easier road either way and he doesn’t have to worry about rent or anything. That can make him a bit blind to other’s struggles, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” Luna said. “I think because you instantly thought he was gorgeous, you just felt like you betrayed yourself a little there. I understand that, but it’s not his fault he was born in a pointe shoe cradle.”
“Unfortunately, I think you’re correct,” she said with a sigh.
Luna chuckled lightly. “Aren’t I always? I am not telling you he isn’t evil incarnate, maybe he’ll show his true colours, but I think you need to give him the benefit of the doubt. You do need to spend a lot of time together.”
The silence was loaded and Ginny frowned. “What…?”
“I was just thinking if you want your children to be born into a pointe shoe cradle, as I so aptly put it—I do say so myself—you could do that. Your kids can have it easie—.”
“Luna!” She remembered she was on the bus and apologetically glanced at the people around her.
“You said he was handsome, I am just putting it out there,” Luna told her, clearly not dissuaded by her outburst.
“I first need to figure out how to be in the same room as him without feeling uneasy,” Ginny joked. “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”
“You’ll be okay,” Luna said. “Try to enjoy this too.”
She breathed out. “I am. Really.”
“Okay,” Luna replied, not sounding entirely convinced. “I have to run but I am going to need regular updates.”
“Of course. Thanks, you’re the best.”
“Bye!”
Ginny ended the call and dropped her phone in her lap.
She had only just made it into her studio apartment when her phone rang yet again, and saw that Hermione was calling her.
“Hello?” she answered. She threw a few seeds into Arnold’s cage.
“I owe you big time,” Hermione started. “Harry was such a breath of fresh air!”
Ginny chuckled. “Don’t let Ron hear you say that.”
“Not like that,” Hermione said. “He had so much insight from his mother and what her legacy meant. His own role in representing ballet as well as the lack of men like him that have been doing ballet from such a young age! Of course this is all because of how ballet is perceived as a women’s sport.”
“Did he say that?” Ginny tried to mask her surprise.
“He did,” Hermione confirmed, sounding delighted. “Thank you so much.”
Ginny winced, because she had been focused mostly on annoying Harry, not helping her friend out and now she felt a little guilty. “It’s nothing.”
“He said he is your love interest?” Hermione said.
Ginny hummed. “He is indeed. He isn’t from Hogwarts though, so I don’t know him very well yet.”
“I bet it’s going to be such a pleasure to be able to work together with someone who has such an awareness about gender issues. He is such a feminist.”
“How sexy of him,” Ginny commented with sarcasm. She took a bottle of juice out of the fridge and sniffed it to check if it was still good. She took a swig from it. “So he was friendly?”
Hermione continued sounding enthusiastic about Harry. “Yes, he was lovely. He told me he was happy to help me find more interviewees from Beauxbatons as well.”
Ginny rested her forehead against the fridge. “Did he? Delightful.” She suppressed a groan. “I am so glad you got a good interview.” She did mean it. “I am going to get started on food now, I am starving.”
“Yes, of course!” Hermione said. “Shall I give your regards to your brother?”
Ginny grinned. “Only if you can’t help yourself.”
“I really don’t understand this sibling relationship,” Hermione commented.
Ginny pursed her lips. “Maybe that can be your next research—I was joking.”
“Haha. I shall give your reluctant greetings to Ron,” Hermione concluded.
“That’s fine,” Ginny agreed. “Bye!”
She threw the phone down and opened the fridge again. She pulled on the jammed drawer at the bottom and surveyed her vegetables once she managed to open it. She had to decide on dinner, but Harry was still occupying her mind.
Unfortunately everyone around her thought he was delightful, and even her usual allies seemed to have left her. She found all of this terribly annoying.
