A/N: Hola peoples! I just thought of this and had to write it down. I would of put it as the dance lessons from the fourth movie but I thought that I made the characters a little more mature so I didn't think it would fit right. Anyway... Enjoy!
Disclaimer:I don't own Harry Potter. D':
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"When I noticed how barbaric you students were dancing at the Yule Ball last year, I insisted that Professor Dumbledore allow me to teach dance lessons. Now I want you all to dance. Come on, up. Up!" McGonnagoll said.
All of the 5th years and up from Gryffindor were in the Great Hall. Most of the boys were moaning and groaning, the girls, on the other hand, could not wait to start. Expectantly, Neville was the first of the boys to stand (just as he had been in fourth year)
"Anyone want to dance?" Neville asked looking quite nervous. All of the girls looked at each other almost like they were having a conversation in their minds like, Which one of us is it going to be? Hermione was looking at them, though, like Your actually going to do this to Neville when he finally has found his courage? When none of the girls moved, she looked over to the boys who looked amused at the sight of Neville being shot down. She saw Seamus start chuckling and glared at him. So she decided to be the nice one...yet again.
"I'll dance with you Neville," she said to him with a smile. He immediately looked relieved and smiled back as if saying Thank you. After she said that Fred and George looked at each other, shrugged, and walked over to Angelina and Alicia.
"Would you care to dance, ladies?" They said in unison while bowing. The girls glanced at each other, smiled, and took the hand that each of the twins had held out for them. More of the boys started to get up after that and everything started going pretty well.
Neville actually turned out to be an excellent dancer and the girls quickly wanted to take turns dancing with him. Hermione thought that was great because it gave Neville more confidence, and Neville definitely needed more of that. But since she was quickly replaced by another girl, she decided to just go sit down. It's not as if anyone would ask me to dance, She thought.
Just then, Ron came up to her.
"Why aren't you dancing with Neville still?" He asked with just the tiniest bit of jealousy in his voice. He looked at her questionably as she looked up in surprise, not noticing him standing there.
"Oh, The other girls wanted to dance with him since he's easily the best and most confident at it between you guys." She said while smirking slightly at him.
Ron was also smirking while he made a mock shocked face. "Are you implying that I don't have any skills?"
"Not at all. I'm saying it straight out: You have no skills." She said back, smiling innocently at him.
"Oh my heart is breaking," He said with a sad face while holding a hand over his heart.
Hermione just smiled back.
"So, why are you sitting here by yourself instead of dancing with someone?" Ron asked.
"Well, one: The only boy without a partner is you, and two: Even if I did wanna dance with someone, it's not like they'd wanna dance with me." Hermione said sadly while looking away.
"Your joking right. Okay, I'm going to comment to that backwards," Ron said while Hermione looked slightly amused, "Two: I think any guy who got to dance with you would be extremely lucky and one: Don't sound so miserable that I'm the only one not dancing...Yet." He finished, holding his hand out for her.
Hermione looked at him, "Your serious?"
Ron smiled, "Well, I have to show you somehow that I have skills."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Alright, since your making me and all," She said with a smile on her face.
When they moved out onto the floor, Ron told Hermione to "Just put your hand on my shoulder." To which Hermione wittily (A/N:Is that even a word, cause if it isnt...IT SHOULD BE!) replied:
"Where!?"
Hermione had her eyes really wide with a shocked face but a was grinning wildly. Ron smirked as he remembered the incident and looked amused.
"Yeah, yeah. Ha Ha. Laugh it up, Hermione"
And then they were dancing. It was a little awkward, one because of the height difference, and two because of the fact that neither of them seemed to mind. Hermione took this time to notice how perfect they seemed to fit together. My hands fit right into his, it almost feels...right.
"You know Ron, that was really sweet what you said before. About how any guy who dances with me is lucky. It was really, well...not you." Hermione said.
Ron looked slightly hurt, "What, so I can't be myself and sweet at the same time?"
"No, that's not what I meant. It's just normally when you have the chance to pick on me you take it, and that was a pretty good chance." she said.
"Hermione, when have I ever picked on you?" Ron asked. He was actually serious people. -sighs- Ron, Ron, Ron. How naive you can be.
"Ron, need I remind you of the 'nightmare' incident in first year, and then the whole Lockhart thing in second, not to mention the 'Scabber's and Crookshanks' thing in third year. Oh and then last year-"
"Alright, alright I get it. So I've picked on you a few times over the years. We're best friends, Hermione, it's what we do. But if it hurt you that much, I'm sorry for all the times I picked on you...and all the times I will from now on" Ron answered with a smirk.
"Well at least he apologizes," Hermione murmured not thinking Ron could hear her. He did.
He looked confused. "What are you talking about Hermione?"
She looked a little suprised because she didn't realise Ron caught that. They had stopped dancing by now and Hermione started to walk back to the bench, Ron following. She sat down and sighed. "It's nothing, it's just your honestly the first person to actually apologize for making fun of me." She said looking a little sad.
Ron still looked confused. "I still don't get what your talking about. Other than Malfoy, not many people pick on you and if they do they normally apologize afterwards."
Hermione laughed slightly. "Ron, I wasn't only talking about here. At Hogwarts. I went to Muggle school before I came here. Let me just say, some muggles can be cruel, and the ones at my school weren't an exception. I was the know-it-all. The teacher's pet, of my school. Before I came to Hogwarts my only friends were my books. I was picked on everyday. And I mean everyday. Even on the weekends when we didn't have school, I'd go somewhere and at least one person from my school was there just waiting to find a way to make fun of me."
"Hermione-" Ron started but Hermione just kept going.
"The things they said and did to me...they were really cruel, Ron. But that wasn't really what bothered me. What did bother me was that no one seemed to care about how I felt. Not one person."
"Hermione, I get what you mean by what they said to you, but what are you talking about when you said they would do things?" Ron asked.
She sighed, looking away while a couple tears fell down her face.
Ron hastily said, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Hermione wiped away the tears and said, "No it's alright I'll tell you."
She took a deep breath, "I've never told anyone about the things they did Ron, not even to my parents, so you can understand that its a little hard." Ron automatically nodded understandingly, "The kids at my school, they would...well you could say they sort of pulled pranks on me. But not the kind of pranks Fred and George do, those are funny. These were just...cruel. That's really the only way I can describe it."
She paused and took another deep breath, "Somedays they were just little things: Putting gum on the floor so I would step in it; Making a teacher think I did something when I hadn't. But other times...other times they just went all out. They would throw all my stuff to the ground and then step all over it, ripping some things. One time they put something in my food at lunch and I had an allergic reaction to it and my face started swelling up. I actually had to go to the hospital because my throat started swelling but none of them cared. They just laughed at me. A couple times they would trip me: Sometimes at lunch which caused my lunch to go all over me; Other times at recess, one time when they tripped me then I fell into a puddle of mud. It was all over me but my parents were working so no one could bring me extra clothes. I had to stay like that for the whole day." Hermione now had tears falling freely down her face.
Ron couldn't even handle what he was hearing, then he thought about how he would have handled it if it actually happened to him. He understood now why she was so upset in first year. She must have thought that the new school meant no more people making fun of her, and he ruined it.
"Hermione, you don't have to tell me anymore. I can tell it really hurts." He said while he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. He nearly sighed in relief as she leant her head against his shoulder. She was still crying after a few minutes but she eventually stopped.
"Thanks Ron."
He smiled at her. " No problem. If you want, I could go beat up everyone at your old school." Hermione laughed a little then.
"No Ron I think I'm OK. You really helped."
"Hey, it's what I'm here for." Ron said. They just sat there for a while enjoying being in each others arms. Until McGonnagoll said that the lesson was over. They then went up to the common room where they stood awkwardly while everyone else went up to the dormitories. Hermione looked at Ron.
"Thanks again Ron."
She went up on her tippy toes at went to kiss him on the cheek but got the corner of his mouth. Both of their eyes widened and Hermione quickly stuttered out that she was 'gonna go now.' Ron stood there for a second while he watched her quickly run up the steps before smiling and whispering
"Your welcome Hermione."
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done.
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A/N: So what'd you think. Don't be too mean.
ReViEw.
