Hello, hello! I'm back with another little story. I really wanted to just finish it and upload it. Grammarly was my beta, so any mistakes are mine.

Thanks for reading!

Without This

It was suffocating.

And yet, she did not have it in her to leave.

The hall was decorated like a Winter Wonderland, much like the Great Hall at Hogwarts during the Yule Ball. Gigantic chandeliers hung from the ceiling, emitting a soft bluish glow; bright green wreaths adorned the walls and huge Christmas trees, covered in artificial snow and glittering with fairy lights, stood tall and proud at regular intervals along the wall.

Hermione was standing beside one of the said trees, holding in her hand a glass of Ogden's Firewhisky. She had barely tasted it because all the while she had been gazing at him. Jealousy flared inside her when she saw him spin her around. She giggled as he pulled her back to him and put her arms around his neck.

Blinking the not-so-sudden tears out of her eyes, she looked away, a dull ache in her heart. It was an ache that did not seem to have left her for the last twelve weeks.

You were supposed to have gotten over him.

She thought she had, but one look at him this evening and once again it had hit her, like a great Bludger, that she could never really stop loving him. They had broken up their two-year-long relationship about three months ago and it had been extremely hard for both of them, but not fully unexpected.

"'Lo Hermione."

She almost jumped in fright. Turning around, she saw Ron standing right behind her and grinning down at her.

"Merlin, Ron," she admonished, lightly touching her chest. "Don't creep up on me like that!"

"It's not every day you manage to scare the Head of the DMLE, do you?" he winked.

She smacked him on the chest. "Shut up."

"What are you doing standing here alone? Dance with me!" he said.

Hermione glanced discreetly at Harry and Ginny, and gave a shaky nod.

"You OK?" asked Ron, looking concerned.

She managed to smile up at him. "Yeah. Let's go."

She took his hand and they proceeded towards the dance floor. Once there, she put her arms around his neck and he put his large palms on her waist. The music was an upbeat, cheerful one and all around them, there were couples laughing and smiling. Over Ron's shoulder, she spotted Harry again. He was not dancing anymore, but drinking from a glass of elderflower wine. He looked up and their eyes met, and she couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.

"What's up?" asked Ron, making her look at him.

She was sure her eyes were reddening. "No, nothing. I - I'm great. Really, I mean -..."

She looked at the floor, and Ron touched her chin to lift her face.

"It's Harry, innit?"

"What? No!"

"Then what is it?"

She closed her eyes, afraid she would once again catch Harry's. Then she opened them again.

"I'm, I don't know -," she mumbled, before sighing. "I'm still in love with him, Ron!" she whispered, her voice a tad higher and very brittle.

"I wasn't wrong, then," he smiled sadly.

Feeling sharp tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, she buried her face in Ron's chest. She didn't care that her tears were seeping into Ron's dress robes.

"If I'd advise you to tell him, you wouldn't, would you?" he murmured, stroking her back.

"He likes Ginny," she mumbled.

"What if I tell you that Ginny's dating Dean?"

"It doesn't matter. He likes Ginny," she stated stubbornly.

Ron could only sigh that the obstinacy of his two best friends.

He missed her. He could not help but think all the time that it had been a grave mistake to break off their relationship.

He had seen her at least once every day following their breakup, owing to the fact that they worked in the same department, but seeing her today had cemented his belief that he could never get over her.

And it did not help that she was looking bloody gorgeous.

She was wearing a blush-coloured satin dress with a halter neck that fit her snugly yet was not too tight. Her caramel locks were twisted into a messy side braid with stray tendrils framing her face. She wore tiny white pearls in her ears and a pearl necklace around her neck, which Harry recognised as the one he had gifted her when she had been promoted a year ago.

He gritted his teeth at the way she was dancing with Ron, her face against his chest as he stroked her back.

She's single now, remember? She can dance with anyone anyway she likes.

He sipped his drink. It had been a pain to dance with Ginny, notwithstanding the fact that he liked Ron's sister very much, when all the time he could see her standing alone by the wall. He wanted to curse himself for he was the reason she looked so miserable and distant.

He remembered the way he had danced with her just a year ago at the same Annual Ministry Ball; the look on her face as her hazel eyes, reflecting the glimmering lights of the room, bore into his; and how fantastic he had felt to be entering the hall with her clutching his hand.

He wanted that again.

But after their terrible breakup, he doubted she wanted the same.

She wanted to go to him and ask him to dance with her, for once.

Ron was dancing with Luna after Hermione had claimed that she had had enough dancing for the night, and once again, the brunette was back near the Christmas tree - this time, Kingsley Shacklebolt had engaged her in talk about the new report. She hardly paid attention to him, she knew he would repeat it the next day at work.

Harry was still standing near the drinks counter and Ginny was dancing with Dean Thomas.

"You're right, Kingsley," she nodded, though she did not know what she was affirming.

She could see Harry staring at her every now and then, and he was doing the same right now. He looked exceptionally handsome in his dark robes and it made her tummy do several backflips.

She needed to leave the room for a while.

"By the way, have you seen the view from this balcony, Hermione?"

"Huh?" she finally looked at Kingsley.

"You should stand at the balcony for a while. The view is very beautiful at night, especially during Christmas," he replied, grinning cheerfully at her.

"Oh, right. Thank you, Kingsley," she asserted, feeling Harry's eyes on her.

With a wave and a smile, Kingsley turned around and walked over to the dance floor.

Kingsley was right.

It looked lovely from here. And besides, it offered her some much needed alone time.

The stars winking down at her became blurry as her eyes once again filled with tears when she remembered her first kiss with Harry, on a summer camping trip, under a similar starry sky.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Hey."

She gasped.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Harry whispered, closing the door behind him and joining her side.

She could only nod.

They stood quietly for a while until it was Hermione who broke the silence.

"Well, I better go inside now."

She made to turn around, but Harry grabbed her wrist.

"Harry -," she tried to say.

"Hermione, please," he said earnestly, coming close to her. "Please, could we just-just talk, for a while?"

She bit her lip and nodded, finding it impossible to speak.

Harry let go of her hand. "Listen, Hermione, I'm really sorry. You don't know how awful I feel to - to have - "

"If you want to apologise, Harry, please know that I have already forgiven you," she said curtly, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I know, Hermione. It's just that I - I didn't want to break up with you," he finished lamely and rubbed the back of his neck.

Hermione looked at him. "I didn't want to break up with you, either. Oh Harry, I'm sorry too. If only I'd have paid a little more importance to our relationship -," she said.

Harry's eyes were glassy and wet. "I'm so sorry," he croaked.

Hermione could not help but pull his head down for their foreheads to touch. Their lips were inches apart from each other. All she could feel was Harry and it was making her mind go fuzzier by the minute.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I told you you look gorgeous tonight," he whispered.

She giggled lightly despite herself.

"Hermione." Harry's voice was husky. His blazing eyes flitted from hers to her lips and back to her eyes.

Their lips brushed against each other, softly and sincerely like a feather landing on a pillow.

They pulled back and looked into each other's eyes. Harry's face was flushed and she was sure hers was too.

"I love you, Hermione Granger. And I promise you that I'll never give you a reason to be upset again."

She laughed, putting her hands on his chest. "You sure?"

"OK, OK, at least I'll never give you a reason to break up with me again. How's that?"

"I love you, Harry Potter," she murmured, pressing her lips to his.

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her flush against him. Her hands remained on his chest, clutching fistfuls of his robes. His other hand held her cheek gently. As they remained entwined on the balcony, reunited after weeks of being miserable, Hermione could only think one thing.

I've missed you. I've missed you. Oh, I've missed you.

They broke apart after what seemed like eons, breathing heavily.

"What about Ginny?" Hermione asked after a comfortable beat of silence.

"Did you have to bring up someone else now? Trust you to ruin the mood," he said, nuzzling her nose with his. "Ginny's dating Dean. Besides, I love you and only you."

"Good to hear that," she nodded. "Now, I have two things to do."

"They are?"

"First, I need to apologise to Ron for starting to cry not ten minutes into our dance -"

"Poor Ron," Harry snickered.

"And second, you owe me a dance," she said excitedly, earning a grin from him.

To her immense surprise, Harry took her hand and kissed it. "May I have this dance, Madam Granger?" he asked, smiling cheekily at her.

"Yes," she giggled, turning pink. Harry pulled her close and kissed her temple.

"Let's go, love."

And later, as Harry twirled her around on the dance floor, making her laugh, they both wondered how in the name of Merlin they'd thought they could ever live without it. Without this.

I apologise for the mistakes. I know it might not have been very good, but reviews would be lovely!

Stay safe.

Until next time,

Miranda