#blossomwitch

James: I don't think a lot of people here care, though. I mean, you know what they say about Dumbledore. But in all seriousness, word of honor, I won't tell anyone.

James: You flirt with an awful lot of girls for a gay guy, mate.

James: Well, don't go breaking hearts..

Sirius: I mean, you and me are like twins, right? It's super fun, but it isn't... you know, what you go for in someone. That thing that makes you fall for someone. 

Sirius: So their strengths are your weaknesses and vice versa.

Sirius: And still willing to get into trouble. Just... not as much as us

Sirius: At least I don't think so, but he does..

You all remember the Yule Ball, I’m sure: that mess of horrible sexism in which Ron and (to a lesser extent) Harry snub and disregard their female friends in a quest to find the best-looking pair of girls to go with. Only to promptly ignore them for the rest of the night once they’ve been visible together for the required amount of time. The event at which Ron’s jealousy at Hermione having found a man to be with who is not him reaches its screeching, indignant, red-faced climax. Yes, that Yule Ball.

Blossomwitch’s choice to set this fic during the Yule Ball is interesting for two reasons: first, as I say, because it focuses on two women who were persistently sidelined during the whole mess that I just described; and secondly, because of Ginny, from whose point of view the fic is told. The Yule Ball was sort of a turning point for Ginny in a couple of ways; we know from Order of the Phoenix that it was where she started to let go of her feelings for Harry a bit, where she met Michael Corner and decided to go out with him.

So instead of Michael Corner whom she danced with and who made her start to look past her infatuation with Harry, why couldn’t it have been Hermione?

Because Ginny does start to see past her infatuation with Harry in a very real way: not just in the sense of realising that there are other fish in the sea, but by beginning to dismantle the idealised image of him that she used to have.

Hermione and Ginny’s conversation in The Best Dance provides some much-needed perspective on a series of events in which Harry and Ron both behave pretty badly. Hermione and Ron are both Harry’s best friends, but Harry will side with Ron in almost all circumstances where they haven’t fallen out over something. Half-Blood Prince is the first time where we really see that change. So it’s refreshing to have Hermione and Ginny address this tendency, drawing attention to something which is never really brought up in the books, biased as they are towards Harry’s viewpoint. Like I said, for once we get to hear from the women about what they think.

That's one part of why I enjoyed this fic so much. The other is the romance, which is subtle but still very much there, and very realistic to the situation of two women who, up to this point, have only seen each other as friends and nothing more, and who suddenly realise they might have feelings which go beyond that.

As she and Hermione start to dance, Ginny has a moment when she realises that they're the only same-sex couple on the floor. This is another thing in Goblet of Fire that's hard to overlook once you've noticed it: the way that every single one of the romances, even the most minor of side pairings, is straight. Of course, I don’t need to tell you all that the Harry Potter series is incredibly heteronormative; I’m sure you already know that. But again, I like that Blossomwitch draws attention to it, because it’s an important part of the context to Hermione and Ginny’s dance: the fact that this is a bold step not just for their relationship, but in the social environment of Hogwarts.

The Best Dance has quite an open ending, and Blossomwitch mentioned that they weren’t sure whether the story might become the first part of a multi-chapter work. For now, it’s a stand-alone, and much as I would love to read more of this particular story about Hermione and Ginny, I also think it works very nicely as a one-shot. The story focuses on an isolated moment in time in which everything is different; whether it’s the beginning of something more, or just a moment that Hermione and Ginny never return to, is up to you to imagine.

If you liked this, you’ll like...

Discretion is the Better Part of Valour by GoldenDelicious: I don’t normally read fics that are written in second person, but this one is good. There’s a bit of tense confusion, and one or two Americanisms, but it’s very sweet and the feel of Hermione and Ginny’s relationship has a lot in common with The Best Dance. A little bit NSFW.

Pure By Choice by encrypt: All right, this has only the vaguest of links to The Best Dance in that it’s about Ginny Weasley and relationships, but you mustn’t miss this hilarious take on the various ships that Ginny Weasley has been a part of throughout the fandom. And if you enjoy that, there’s also a sequel: (Decidedly Not) Playing the Field.