Meh. Not really that good but it's something that I've had sitting around for a while. I did try to make it into a chaptered fic but I kind of like this being on it's own. So, voila! Simply because I loved the dance scene in Deathly Hallows between Harry and Hermione and also kind of wish it had been in the book - although it was a lovely surprise to the film :)
The dance had been unexpected.
Sitting on the chair, looking across the tent towards Hermione, Harry thought desperately of something he could do to cheer her up, to cheer them both up. Standing slowly, he walked over to where Hermione was sitting on the stairs leading up to the small platform where the two of them had been sitting no longer than an hour before, offering her his hand. She looked up at him for a moment before taking his hand and Harry helped to pull her to her feet so that she was standing in front of him. He frowned slightly as he noticed the chain of the locket visible around her neck and he reached out, unclipping it and all but throwing it down onto the camp bed beside them, leading her slowly to the middle of the tent. He began swaying, rather awkwardly, in time to the music in his feeble and rather embarrassing attempt to dance, pulling Hermione along with him.
It wasn't long before they were both dancing in a somewhat geeky-ish style, not that Harry was complaining. Their dance wasn't anything like the dancing at the Yule Ball back in their fourth year, nor was it anything along the lines of the dancing at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Their dancing was more relaxed, more… natural. As the music picked up in speed, Harry and Hermione's were left just to spin and sway around to the music, their moves completely random yet still in sync and the both of them laughing happily. Harry couldn't help but notice that the sound of laughter sounded almost alien to him, having not heard it for quite some time.
The dance didn't last for long and when the music began to slow down, so did he and Hermione. They were no longer spinning and laughing. Instead, they were turning slowly on the spot. Harry suddenly because aware of how nice the moment felt: one of his hands held Hermione's; the other rested on her back; Hermione's head resting against his shoulder. He couldn't help but with it could go on forever and he was suddenly reminded of the fact that, although Ron had left, he still had Hermione. Ron… Harry felt a stab of pain, betrayal and… guilt?
"I saw you two the other night."
"Ron, that's… that's nothing."
Harry felt slightly annoyed by Hermione's choice of words. Partly because off how easily she had dismissed their friendship/relationship/whatever it was that was going on between them, but mostly because there was something going on between them, there was something underneath the surface of their friendship and the part that Harry hated most was that Hermione's words were true. It was nothing because it could never be something. Hermione loved Ron and Harry loved Ginny; that's the way it was and that's the way it would most likely stay. However, although it was not nearly as much as he loved Ginny and Hermione loved Ron, Harry did love Hermione and he knew that she loved him too.
The music stopped and Harry and Hermione finally pulled away from each other and Harry let go of her hand and let his arms fall down to his sides, trying to ignore the feeling of emptiness in his hand. They stared at each other and Harry was aware of how closely their faces were to one another's. The atmosphere was changing again; the air of sadness that had been lingering in the tent was slowly creeping back in.
"I love you…" Harry muttered, his eyes holding hers. He knew Hermione had caught on to the ambiguous meaning to his words: he loved her as a friend, like a sister, and more. Harry knew that the feelings were mutual even though Hermione did not repeat the words back. Instead, she gave a small sigh and turned away from him, slowly making her way over to the camp-bed she had been sleeping in, leaving him standing alone.