There was so much to do, but she could not make herself do any of it. So much responsibility had been placed on Hermione's shoulders, but she could not move from the stairs. After re-reading everything she could find about horcruxes once more, she decided to take a short break for the sake of her sanity and sat on one of the steps, but could not bring herself to return to her work. She had it all memorized anyway. She had spent hours looking through her books everyday, sometimes with Harry and sometimes by herself. Usually Hermione could generate more ideas or find possible solutions, but since he left, her mind felt like her body, it did not want to move. She spotted a radio near her, so she reached over to turn it on. Maybe she could find some motivation in a good song.
She flipped through the stations, not really stopping long enough to listen to a complete song. There was some classical, a Weird Sisters song, and a couple of muggle stations. She had almost given up when she heard a familiar chorus. She couldn't place where she had heard it before. The steady, slow rhythm sent a chill down her spine and the words rang true in her mind. They measure the room, they know the score. They're mopping up the butcher's floor of your broken little heart. Then, she remembered hearing it in a shop that she had gone into with Ron a few summers ago in the village near his house. The memories flooded back and she tried to stop them, but the force was too strong. Hermione remembered how she laughed when he reminded her of his father as he looked at the muggle hardware, the goofy crooked smile he gave her when he dropped a doorknob, and how red his ears turned when Fred and George flirted with the cashier. Then, she remembered how everything had changed in a couple years. How he had gone from that funny, kind, and caring person to one who she could hardly recognize. She had thought that things had been different, but after he left, she began to believe that she had misread everything. She knew that she should change the station, but she felt her hand leaving the knob without her permission.
She sat there, letting the lyrics wash over and envelop her. She could not escape from the hurt and sadness that had a hold of her. Despite the heartache and the anger she felt towards him, she could not let go. The locket that hung from her neck and rested just over her heart reminded her of what had become of her. It was cold, heavy, and dark, like the heart that hid beneath it. She heard Harry come after his watch ended, but she did not acknowledge his presence. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to care. She felt him watching her, as if deciding what to do, but she did not respond, she only turned her head away so that he could not see the tears welling up in her eyes.
She heard him take a few steps toward her, so she discreetly brushed away the few tears that had fallen and looked up to where he was standing. He stood in front of her and held out a hand in her direction. She hesitated to take it. Part of her wanted to forget about Ron and his very existence, but the other part was too connected to let go without doing irreparable damage. The look he gave her as he apparated flashed through her mind, the cold and unfeeling anger were clear in his features. She sighed and took Harry's outstretched hand, even if it was only to ease the pain.
He gently helped her up from the stairs and pulled her to the center of the room. She was dragging under the weight of her own sadness and disappointment and he could see it. He put his hands around her neck and undid the clasp of the locket. As soon as he did, the weight lifted. The memories and pain were still swirling endlessly through her head, but it was not as unbearable as before. Harry's hand brushed her neck as he pulled the locket away and she suppressed a shiver. He threw it to the side and grabbed her hands. It felt good to have something to hold on to, but she found herself looking for Ron's features in his face. They had the same determined look in their eyes.
Harry could see that she was hesitating, so he began to swing her arms back and forth. He searched Hermione's face, just as she searched his, and she knew that he was looking for Ginny, even as he tested the waters with her. As they swayed, she felt the exasperation lessen as she realized that they were looking for the same thing- stability in a world that is moving too fast. She repressed the smile that the revelation brought to her face, but as they moved from swaying to dancing and spinning, she could not hold it back any longer. She decided to give it a chance. They looked into each other's eyes as they moved into the faster-paced bridge and put aside the others. They only saw each other. She found herself laughing- at themselves, at their dancing, and their own foolishness. Here were two lonely children forced to grow up too fast dancing in a tent laughing at the bliss that they found in each other. She began to look at Harry as more than a friend, but a companion and partner. She remembered all of the times that Ron and her had fought in the past. Harry had always been there. He always knew how to make her smile and how to win people over. Maybe this is how it really should be, she thought to herself.
But then he pulled her closer and something didn't feel right. He seemed to feel it too because they both tensed. The close proximity reminded them of what they really wanted instead of helping them forget. It reminded Hermione that she was dancing with Harry, her best friend, and embarrassing herself by thinking that there could be something more. They let go at the same time and took a step back. When she looked into his eyes, this time she only saw Harry, the boy who she had grown up with and cared about, but never loved. She saw the pain in his eyes as well and she was reminded that when he saw her depression, it reminded him of his own separation. Like her, he didn't know if he would ever see the person he loved again or if it would ever be the same. They would never be capable of loving each other, despite their efforts.
She backed up further from him. The moment was over and it was time to return to reality. They both sincerely loved others, even if they could not be with them. Hermione knew that she still passionately loved Ron, even if she misinterpreted all of those looks and stolen moments that made her believe that he loved her too. She left Harry standing there, interpreting his own heart as she went to take back her burden.