AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hello, there! I just wanted to say that I have always been a huge Potterhead/Potterholic, (whatever other term is used for a Potter-obsessed person such as myself) but ironically I've just never gotten around to writing up a fanfic for it! It's really rather odd, now that I think on it. Anywho, now that the final HP movie is coming out, I just thought that I'd give this a go before I'm off to watch it tonight at the midnight showing. (I am SO damn excited- I already have my apparel all sorted out and everything) In shorter terms, here is a simple, little Romione one-shot that I've had as a thought on the backburner for quite some time now. FYI, it takes place during the Yule Ball, fourth year. Hope you like!
STANDARD DISCLAIMER:
I obviously don't own an inch of this, and every beautiful aspect of HP goes to Jo. I simply can't thank her enough.
Spotlight shining brightly
On my face
I can't see a thing
And yet I feel you looking my way
Hermione peeked her head curiously and fearfully around the corner and down the stairs; deep brown eyes shimmering with nervousness as they flitted through the swarm of people below her.
Talking, laughing, hugging, gossiping, flirting. Perhaps they wouldn't even take notice of the girl in the delicate pink dress the shade of flower petals as she stepped out from around the corner. Perhaps she would blend in perfectly with the crowd as she always did; no person even taking a single glance at her or stopping to look at her as if she were something different, special, even.
Hermione sighed uneasily. It was time.
Empty stage
With nothing but this girl
Who's singing this simple melody
And wearing her heart on her sleeve
And right now...
Taking in the deepest breath her lungs could handle before rupturing, the beautiful brunette turned the corner; bracing herself to face the crowd's scrutinizing gazes peering up at her.
She stepped out from the shadows and into the light of the main hall that seemed to pour down on her in endless luminosity. Hermione felt slow and near-lethargic as she moved, like time was frozen around her. But yet she could tell that she had actually moved from where she had stood before at the top of the stairs, because suddenly, everyone's gaze was upon her, staring at her with a mixture of utter disbelief and complete awe.
Was she dreaming? Was this real? The crowd was captivated by her. Her. Hermione Granger. The brain, the know-it-all, the intellectual genius. Definitely not the beauty.
But that was exactly how Hermione felt as she floated gracefully down the long, slender stairs. She felt completely, irreversibly beautiful.
The whole situation was a mystery to her.
Her mind still whirling, the gentle-eyed girl let a kind, little smile quirk her lips as her eyes met Harry's in the swarm of people staring up at her. His own lips folded back into a small grin in return and he nodded slightly. Her eyes passed over him and began to desperately search faces once more.
I have you
For a moment I can tell I've got you
'Cause your lips don't move
And something is happening
'Cause your eyes tell me the truth
I've put a spell over you.
She needed to see him. She needed for him to see her.
Hermione exhaled slightly and then felt warm, soothing flames embrace her heart as her eyes found the familiar face in the crowd that her stare had been hurriedly scanning the people for.
Ron Weasley's eyes met hers; lightning blue against chocolate brown.
He didn't smile, he didn't frown. He didn't wave, laugh, or shout anything out over the crowd to her. He didn't even walk away, which Hermione had been so sure that he would do. Instead, he didn't do any of those things.
Ron simply stared. Stared at the girl in the shimmering, pink dress; his wide eyes completely overflowing with awe, shock, love, confusion, fear, and torment.
Awe because Hermione was the most beautiful thing his eyes had ever taken in.
Shock because he couldn't wrap his mind around the emotions that only she could make him feel.
Love because his had fallen madly and unalterably in love with her.
Confusion because Hermione was one of his best friends and he couldn't get over the awkwardness of it all.
Fear because he was slightly afraid to fall in love, which was why he had refrained from asking her in the first place.
And torment because he deep down inside really wanted Hermione, but tonight, she wasn't his.
She was Krum's. And it was all his fault.
Beauty emanates from every word that you say
And capture the deepest thoughts
In the purest and simplest of ways
Hermione felt a ruby-shaded stain creep up her neck to flush her cheeks. Never had Ron, or anyone for that matter, looked at her with such a wild intensity. Her mind completely melted under the fire of his stare. She longed to talk to him, to try and make up about their heated argument they had had earlier.
But she knew she couldn't. She'd have to dance with Viktor now. She really did like him, Viktor, but she just felt something entirely different for Ron. Like an invisible connection had bound their hearts together, somehow making her feel closer to him than to anyone, no matter what tension they faced in their relationship. In fact, the tension made them stronger; building up inside of them and pulling them even closer than before.
But you see, I'm not that graceful like you
Nor am I as eloquent
But just a simple melody
Can change the way that you see me
And right now
Hermione finally came to a standstill at the bottom of the stairs as she ended her descent. She stood there uncomfortably for a moment, continuing to feel the eyes of her peers cutting into her like sharp blades as they stared, still completely astounded. And then Viktor was there, hand outstretched as he reached out to take Hermione's in his own.
The brunette's gaze never left Ron's, and she continued to stare into his pure blue eyes, interrogating them for answers, almost angrily.
Why didn't you ask me first? Why are you always so cruel to me? Hermione's mind pelted questions at the red head that she knew he could not hear because they were in her head but she didn't want to ever speak them out loud. She wanted him to be able to answer them for her without her even asking.
Ron glowered back in Hermione's direction angrily, and she knew that he was not upset with her, but merely upset with his ex-favorite Qudditch player, the one who was now holding her hand carefully and gently. Hermione turned to Viktor and smiled sweetly up at him for a moment, and then turned back to stare at Ron as the dark-haired boy brought her hand to his lips.
And kissed it.
The witch with the chestnut-shaded eyes watched with a blend of shock and satisfaction as the red-haired boy's facial expression suddenly smoldered with overwhelming fury, his ears turning bright red as they always did when he was raging with anger. His nostrils flared and his eyes flickered infuriately back and forth between Hermione and Krum.
This could have been you, you know. Hermione thought heatedly towards Ron. It's your fault that I'm with him.
Hermione turned away from the still-staring boy and glanced up at Viktor, who had offered her his arm for her to link her own through it.
She took it, and they strode forward along with the rest of the Tournament champions and their dates.
I have you
For a moment I can tell I've got you
'Cause your lips don't move
And something is happening
'Cause your eyes tell me the truth
I've put a spell over you.
Soon enough, the music started, and Hermione and Krum began to dance. The elegant-looking teen peered up at Viktor's face, a smile playing across her own. She was having so much fun. Perhaps enough for her to not even care that she wasn't with Ron.
But that was a completely horrid lie. Even now as she danced with the Durmstrang boy her eyes never failed to fall upon Ron who was currently perched upon a bench next to his own date, the one that he was completely ignoring. His pained gaze just burned right back into that of the curly-haired brunette's, never straying from her form for even a second. It was like he wanted to look away, but simply couldn't.
All my life I stumble
But up here I am just perfect
Perfect as I'll ever be
Dancing under the glowing light that rained down its sheer iridescence from above, Hermione felt like she was in a daze, still feeling the eyes of everyone in the whole school upon her, continuously staring at her with dumbfounded expressions. It was quite apparent that no one had believed Hermione to turn out to be the graceful, beautiful girl that she was that night.
And then there she was; completely graceful and beautiful as she twirled around blissfully on the dance floor, her hair coruscating like amber silk beneath the glistening lights. She had blown away everyone. And everyone was looking at her now.
I have you
For a moment I can tell I've got you
'Cause your lips don't move
And something is happening
'Cause your eyes tell me the truth
I've put a spell over you.
Hermione glanced back again at the red-haired teen sitting by the side of the dance floor. His expression had changed once more. Instead of being slightly pained, his face was now filled with anguish, his eyes seeming to overflow with agony, as if someone had used the Cruciatus Curse on him. But yet he continued to stare at her, completely transfixed by her even though she was causing him so much pain. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
Hermione felt satisfaction at the fact that she was able to make him feel this pain, the same pain that she had felt when he'd never asked her to the ball. The question was, why was he feeling pain? He didn't have feeling for her… he couldn't, not after the way he treated her. The beautiful brunette's mind was drowning in its own thoughts for a moment as her eyes gazed into that of Ron Weasley's. She hadn't any clue as to what was going through his own mind right then as he gazed at her with burning intensity, but she knew one thing for sure.
After years and years of trying, she had finally succeeded in captivating him.
AUTHOR'S NOTE ENDING:
So that's that. Ron & Hermione are SO cute as a couple. God, I can't wait to see them kiss in DH 2. I know they altered it from the book, but I hope they kept at least the intensity of it the same. If not, I may be slightly upset. Anyways, please review and leave feedback about the fic. How did I do, did it suck, did it suck so terribly that you couldn't finish reading it etc. That would be helpful. Thanks for reading!