Blaise walked in and looked around the front area. It was a perfect size for a family-oriented practice. He didn't see Weasley anywhere, so he walked behind the counter and saw everything organized in neat little piles all over the desk.

He heard a noise and turned around. Weasley was now staring at a closed door and acting as if she was going to be sick.

"Don't tell me the first patient is going to have to be you."

Ginny jumped, a hand at her chest. "Morgana! If people didn't sneak up on me all the time I might be less inclined to throw up all over their leather loafers." She shook her head and motioned towards the door. "This is yours. I didn't touch anything. Promise." Even though I really, really wanted to.

Blaise walked up to the door and opened it, grinning at the pristine lab. Everything was still wrapped, and by the way Ginny was fidgeting next to him, she either had to use the bathroom really bad or she really want to rush in there and start unpacking. Unfortunately for her, he was a Slytherin and was content in just walking around the room inspecting every little detail.

Holding in the sigh as it threatened to escape, she watched him walk around the room until she couldn't take it anymore. "Do you like it? Do we need to make it bigger? Do we need to order anything else? What can we open first?" She grinned, her hands clasped in front of her. "I think we should open the big one first, but that's just my opinion."

He chuckled. "You're like a little kid at Christmas. We're going to start with the smallest, because I have a feeling once you open the big one, that all your excitement will be gone right there and you'll run off. No, we'll start small and then work our way to the prize. The big packages. Sounds wonderful, right?"

Ginny nodded sullenly, crossing over to the counter and grabbing a small box. She ripped into it with a smile, holding up a beaker. She frowned. "If they're all going to be this exciting, I think I might need to put on another pair of knickers." She set the beaker on the counter before leaning on it. "Your turn."

Blaise laughed and opened his own box with another beaker, but a different size. "Well, think of it this way--they're going to vary in shape and size. And I'm waiting to unload the ingredients later, so it's mostly just equipment. It shouldn't take us long."

For the next hour they unloaded boxes full of beakers, metal rods, pipes, and containers. When everything was put away to Blaise's liking, there were only a few, large packages left. He looked at Ginny, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Do you want to do the honors?"

"Hell yes!" She grabbed the box and dug her nails into the seam, ripping the side of the box off. She laughed when the three other sides fell away. She clapped a hand onto the side of the large black cauldron and turned to look at him. "This will be for all your friends. Sober-Up and hangover potion, I assume. Lushes." She laughed again before hoisting herself onto the side of the cauldron and jumping inside. When her feet hit the bottom of the pot, it made a rather large clanging noise. She looked over the rim at Blaise. "I think I may have to borrow this to bathe in."

He snickered and walked up to the cauldron. "So it's larger than the one you bathe in at home, then?"

"Well, yes, actually. I have a much smaller cauldron. Half out of it when I bathe." She laughed, grabbing his hand. "There's room for two in here. Promise. Get in here. Consider it a partner bonding experience." She pulled on his arm.

"You've got to be barking mad if you think I'm jumping a giant cauldron with you."

"And you've got to be barking mad if you think I'm letting you NOT jump into this giant cauldron with me." She pulled on his arm with both of her hands now, leaning over the rim of the cauldron and grabbing at his shirt. She wasn't sure why she felt so secure with him. She knew his reputation, and yet she was still pulling him into an abnormally large cauldron with her.

Well, he's not the one you want to jump on, now is he? No. That's his boyfriend.

She paused and let go of him, crossing her arms on the edge of the cauldron and leaning on them. "Forget it. You'll just never get to know how brilliant your cauldron is. The cauldron I bought. In the lab I'm paying for." She rose an eyebrow at him.

"And if you think that Draco's going to let you pay for it, you're even more barking mad. We're Slytherins. I'll find a way to help him. He's a stubborn little bitch when he wants to be."

Blaise sighed and looked at the cauldron.

"If you tell anyone I'm about to do this, I will... do something. I can't really hex you since you're a girl, but I'll find something to do to you." He shrugged out of his jacket and jumped over the edge of the cauldron. "Great. Now I'm in a really big cauldron with you. Fun."

Ginny laughed. "You can't hex me because I'm a girl? That's rather ridiculous. If you're not going to hex me, at least do it because you know you'd lose." She threw her arms above her head and turned in the small space. "Our first action as partners? Dancing in a cauldron!" She turned and grabbed at the front of his shirt, laughing.

Maybe it was the exhilaration of knowing this was happening, but she felt better than she had in days. More like she'd been before St. Mungo's had sucked her energy and used it for nefarious purposes. Having Blaise here, with his confidence and ego, made her insecurities seem so small. She felt stupid for worrying about this. Blaise was a good potions master. She was an alright healer. They would be fine. "Come on! Dance with me!"

"Oh my God, you've gone mad!" he laughed. "I admitted defeat and got in the cauldron. There is no way in hell I'm dancing in it though!"

She whipped her wand out of her back pocket and dug it into his ribs, a fierce scowl on her face. "Oh, you'll dance. You'll dance or you'll find out just exactly how good I am with this wand." She gave him a brilliant smile before leaning into him, feeling his back hit the other side of the cauldron. "Now dance!"

He kept laughing and shaking his head. "Hex me all you like, I refuse to dance in a giant cauldron." Blaise made a face. "That has to be one of the strangest things I've said in my entire life." He tried to jump out of the cauldron but Ginny kept a hold of his shirt. "Are you not going to let me out?"

Ginny shook her head. "Absolutely not. I can throw a fit. You haven't seen a fit thrown until you've seen a Weasley-Woman fit." She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her wand against her upper arm. "I'm not moving, and neither are you, until you dance in this cauldron. I demand it, Blaise Zabini. I know you know how to dance. You have to." She blushed, realizing how stereotypical that had sounded.

"Oh really? Alright then. Since I know how to dance, obviously, tell me how the fuck I'm supposed to do a waltz in this thing?"

"You don't waltz in a cauldron!" She gasped. "How could you even suggest such a thing? There is no waltzing in a cauldron. Ever. That can't be the only form of dancing you know." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Don't tell me that's the only form of dancing you know."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course it isn't. But seriously. What kind of dancing am I supposed to do? And don't tell me what you did earlier constitutes as dancing. That was... well, there is no nice way to put it, but it was not dancing."

Ginny's jaw dropped. "I'm offended! That sure as hell was dancing! I may not have taken snazzy dance classes like you had, but I do know how to dance." She squared her shoulders and held a hand up. "You've offended me now, Blaise Zabini, and I'm throwing down the gauntlet. The gauntlet has been thrown. You said you're up to challenges. Challenge. Show me what real dancing is, then."

This was pure stupidity on her part, but she couldn't stop the flow of words. She'd been so tense lately, on edge around Draco, worried about Fred, terrified about opening this business. She needed a little fun. She needed to take her mind off the knot of tension in her stomach. Being silly sounded just about right.

His eyebrows went up. "You want me, Blaise Zabini, to show you, Ginny Weasley, what real dancing is? Now see, that's one of the most sensible things you've said all day. But... in a cauldron? Come on, at least let me get you out into the lobby. It's about the best I can do as a make-shift ballroom." He grinned ferally. "Unless you'd like me to apparate us to Zabini Manor's ballroom."

She shook her head. "No. Front lobby is fine." She somehow managed to throw herself over the side of the cauldron, laughing when her feet hit the floor. "Though, it's going to be a good story. Our first time together in our offices and we spent time in your cauldron. It's rather perfect, actually."

Laughing, he jumped gracefully over the side of the cauldron. "We might have to buy another cauldron. One for potions and one to sit around in when there get to be too many people. It'll be like our little sanctuary."

Ginny clapped her hands. "Yes. Perfect. After a really good day, we fill it up and cast a heating charm and have our own little spa party. You'll have to show me how to do manicures. I've never had one, and I've noticed that you're rather well groomed most of the time." She led him out towards the front room. She flicked her wand at the couches, moving them out of the way. She pushed her wand into her back pocket and faced him.

He had a devious smirk on his face. "Manicures are the sign of a person with a high sexual prowess, didn't you realize?"

She rose an eyebrow at him and held up her hands. "Now I know that's not true because I don't have a manicure and I have plenty of sexual prowess. Do not test me Blaise Zabini." She shook her head when all he did was smirk at her. "I'm waiting for you to dazzle me with your dancing prowess, not your sexual prowess. Now. Dazzle me."

"I cannot believe I'm doing this." He stared at her for a moment before walking around her. "How much do you weigh? You look pretty light." Before she could say anything, he grabbed her waist and lifted her into the air before setting her back down. "Right then. I want to try something before I decide what style I'm going to teach you. I think you have way too much energy to try something like a waltz right now. We're going to stand back to back and link arms. When I tell you, push off the floor with both feet and push against my back. Think you can do that?"

Ginny's eyes widened. "Um... yeah. Sure." She turned, laughing when he linked her arms, feeling his back against hers. "I have no idea what you're attempting, but this really doesn't look like any dancing I've seen."

He smirked and turned his head to look back at her. "Just remember-- push off the floor, then against my back. And try to land back on your feet. Now push!"

As soon as he felt the pressure on his back, he leaned forward quickly and used his arm muscles to pull her over his back. He moved his head to the side as hers flipped over his shoulder. With a squeal, she landed on her feet in front of him.

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

She felt exhilarated. "Do you do that very often? What kind of dancing is that? Where did you learn that? Teach me how to do that!" She was practically jumping from foot to foot. "That can't be dancing! Show me something else!" She held her hands up.

He laughed. "One thing at a time. Do you want to perfect that or do some more? It's called Swing dancing. It's rather fast paced and more popular in the Americas, but the dancing instructor I had insisted I know all sorts of styles."

"Something else." She grinned when he took her hands. "What's this one?"

"This is just a basic swing step. It'll help you get a sense of the rhythm used in the dance, so it'll help you learn the rest of the moves. Unlike in most dancing like the waltz and such where the partner does the opposite step, the partners mirror each other. For instance, when I take a step right, you'll be going in the same direction, which means a step to your left. Got it?" They both to a step in the same direction, Blaise to his right and Ginny to her left. "Now go back in the other direction. My left, your right. Good. Now, this is where it can get tricky. With the same foot we started off on, take a step back, putting all your weight on it. Then put all your weight back on your other foot. Let's try it."

Ginny did as she was instructed, grinning when she came forward and met him. "Alright. I like this. Swing. Sounds dirty." She laughed when they did the step again. "Teach on, sir."

Shaking his head, he took them through the steps one more time, more to the correct rhythm. "The first two steps are slower than the last two. And the hands are always joined. When you go through the first set of steps, stay parallel with your partner and keep your hands clasped in between the two of you. On the second set, when you put your foot back, which is called a ball-change, by the way, cross your arms, right over left and then straighten. Now, that leads into another step, but for now let's just practice the rhythm."

Letting him lead, Ginny couldn't help but smile. She knew how to dance, but she didn't know how to dance. Not like this. This was different. She felt... graceful. Which she never really felt. Ever. Besides the times she was on a broom. She was clumsy and tended to knock things over when nervous, but moving with Blaise? This was easy. "You're a good teacher. Maybe we should branch out. Healing and dancing. I think they go hand in hand."

"Literally, right? Because who can resist a good pun? Anyway. When you do the steps this time, after crossing the hands over another, uncross and bring your right hand in front of my face and over my head but keep a hold of my hands. I'll be doing the same. Just let your hand rest behind my head."

Nodding, Ginny did so, grinning as she did it. "How long have you been dancing?" Her breath was a little labored now. She'd never realized how much of a work out dancing could be.

"Since before I could walk," he said dryly. "Alright, let go of my hands but keep your left hand at the back of your neck and your right hand on my shoulder. Take steps to your left by placing your right foot behind your left. Drag your hand along the back of my shoulders and I'll do the same until our hands meet again." 

As they slowly walked away from each other, he smirked at her. "What about you? I saw you at the Yule Ball. I know you were with Longbottom, but at least you were dancing."

Snorting, Ginny tried to pay attention to both their talking and the steps. "Neville knew how to dance. He was a good teacher. Like you. Other than that, I'm not really known for my grace." She smiled as they moved. "This is not how I thought we'd be spending the day, but I can't complain."

He grinned. "Now, if you liked the flipping earlier, then you're really going to enjoy this. After that set of steps, I'm going to grab our hands and twirl you in a clockwise motion while pulling you towards me. Got that? When we're done, your back will be against my chest. I'm also going to let go of your hand once you get close and grab your waist. When I tell you, just jump, alright. We'll go slow up until I grab your hips."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Alright."

He snickered. "Alright. Let's just do the turn first, shall we? Then we'll wait to get to the lifting part. Remember, clockwise motion."

She nodded. She could do this. She did the steps with him, ending with the turn. Her eyes widened when her back was pressed against him. "Like that?"

"Very good," he said in her ear before moving his hands to her waist. "Now, I'm going to lift you to where your hips will be up near my shoulder. You'll basically stay there for a bit while I moved my hands to flip you. Usually you do a bit more training before doing this, but I thought it would be fun to do it all at once. So, I'll wrap an arm around your waist and I want you to lean all the way back and start falling. Once you're upside down, I'll move my hands and help flip you back. You have to keep your body straight though, alright?,Once you have your foot close to the ground, you basically keep moving down until your foot touches the ground and you straighten yourself up. Easy, right?"

Letting out a bark of nervous laughter, Ginny shook her head. "Yeah. Easy." She swallowed. "Don't drop me."

"I have never dropped a woman in my life."

He didn't even give her a warning before he lifted her easily onto his right shoulder. "You doing good up there?"

Ginny had grasped at his shoulders when he lifted her up. "Yeah. We're just fine up here." She hadn't realized how tall he was. He was tall. He was tall and she was taller lifted off the ground. If he drops me, I'll die. I'll crush my head in and die.

"When I let go of your legs, bring your right one and try to point your foot all the way to the floor. Wrap a hand around my midsection to slow yourself down if you want."

She took a steadying breath before slowly letting herself fall backwards. She fumbled a bit, grabbing onto the hem of his trousers and gripping his belt. She let out a rather girlish yelp as she turned against him, his hands guiding her until her feet hit the floor. She let out a breath of relief, reaching up to pull her hair out of her eyes. She beamed at him. "That wasn't so scary."

His grin was shark-like. "Want to try it faster?"

Her tongue darted out and wet her lips. "Faster?" She grinned slightly at him. "Do it all faster?"

"Faster. This time you don't pause near my shoulder. I lift you up and you go straight back. You just flip right against my side. Sound fun? Want to try it with the spin?"

She took a deep breath, nodding. "Alright." She grabbed his hand and went through the steps again, spinning into his arms. She hopped a bit when he put his hands around her waist, squealing when he lifted her back. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before throwing her body backwards fully, closing her eyes and flipping, his hands helping her until her feet were flat on the floor again. She laughed, turning while clapping her hands. "Wow."

Blaise grinned. "You've got it. Think you've done enough flipping? Ready to move on to something else? Or shall we wait for the next dance lesson to happen a later date?"

Ginny was sorely tempted to say yes and let him teach her some more dancing, but she knew she still had a lot to do in her office, as well as setting up the files in the receptionist area. She smiled. "Some other time perhaps. Thank you for showing me. You're very talented, but I have the feeling you already knew that."

"Of course I did, but I like hearing it anyway." He looked around the lobby as she put the seats back in their original places. "Do you have anything I could help you with and please, God, say no."

She straightened, pushing her hair out of her eyes again. She really needed to just do filing. He wasn't needed for that, not really. "No. I think I should be fine. We're going to be opening at 9 on Thursday. Does that work for you? You probably won't be needed if you have something else. I can't see us needing to fill lots of potions on the first day."

"I'll be here anyway. I don't know if you'd be able to stand the excitement of your first patient." He walked back to his lab and grabbed his jacket before joining her again the lobby. "I'll see you Thursday. Owl me if you have any other messages, or just want another dance lesson."

He stopped and grinned. "Of course, if I'm not available, Draco can dance as well. Just, don't expect him to flip you over his shoulder. He'd probably drop you."

Ginny nodded, her brain furiously trying to rid it of the image of dancing with Draco. "I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you on Thursday."

 

[Summary]: Ginny and Blaise start unpacking stuff for their clinic and end up having a dance lesson.

Here are the aerials Ginny and Blaise are doing. It's the first and third flip. Looks like fun, right?"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gG83WeD4nr4