"Hermione! Hermione c'mon, join in!" Mr Weasley shouted across the other side of the room to her. Hermione smiled and shook her head yet urging them to go on. All of them were at 12 Grimmuald place. Her, Harry all the Weasley's, most of what was left of the order and last of all, Sirius.
Hermione had never seen so many smiling faces; everyone was out of their chairs, dancing, throwing balloons and party poppers. Mr Weasley was currently trying to 'pin-the-tail-on-the-griffin' blindfolded and Harry was up rock and rolling with Ginny. There was only a few still sitting and each with their different reasons, Mungundus Fletcher because he was too drunk to getup, her, and Sirius.
This was a double celebration; Sirius had not been able to fully celebrate his return since his arrived back so long ago. But now Voldermort was out of the picture, the celebrations could last all year if they needed!
Hermione glanced up at Harry's laughing red face, he had just twirled Ginny around and as the song was ending, he was retreating back to his seat near Sirius, which was about two metres away from her own.
Hermione had been wrestling with her emotions for too long now. Tonight was the night, the night where she would have to make the decision.
She glanced from Sirius' face, back to Harry's. What she had to tell Harry would make him hate her. She would wipe away all his happy emotions he had been sporting since Sirius' return and instead sweep back to his former state of which she did not like to look back upon.
Harry got up and left his seat to resume his dancing, Hermione slid her gaze back to Sirius. Sirius seemed to involuntarily flicker his eyes upwards so that his and hers met. His eyes did not seem so sad now; Hermione thought to herself, they were so familiar now. Hermione's mind automatically flashed the images of those eyes from so many times before. She remembered them from the numerous times she had been close to him, feeling his intent gaze upon her, loving, adoring.
Not for the first time that evening she pushed these thoughts out of her head, to think she had to have a clear mind.
Sirius did not have to acknowledge her, instead they just stared. Across this room they went unnoticed, both thinking the unspoken.
As though she had been splashed with cold water Hermione suddenly broke the eye- contact and looked away. She need to think, needed to reflect.
She could not ruin Harry's happiness, she couldn't! Yet could she sacrifice her own, and Sirius' to save it?