Harry had dreamt of dancing with Hermione ever since that night at the Yule Ball. He could still picture the moment he saw her descend the stairs clearly in his mind's eye. Everything else had been forgotten about when his eyes landed on her; the Triwizard Tournament, Ron's ridiculously frilly dress robes, and even the fact that Cho Chang, the girl he had originally wanted to go with, was with Cedric Diggory,

Standing there in a blush pink dress, her hair tamed by use of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion and styled up and out of her face, she outshone every other girl in that moment. He was mesmerized, unable to take his eyes off of her. It was like he was under some sort of spell. He only broke from his trance when Viktor Krum came stumbling over to her, holding his hand out, which she gladly took, before leading her off into the Great Hall.

Needless to say, he struggled to focus on anything else for the rest of the evening, messing up his steps more times than he could remember, and stepping on his date's toes just as often. Padma Patil wasn't too happy with him as a result. All he could think about was how he wished that it was him dancing with Hermione instead of Krum, as well as how much he looked forward to defeating the big oaf in the tournament.

Fast forward a couple of years and his dream had finally come true. Hidden away from the world in an isolated part of the Forest of Dean, the two of them danced around their shared tent to songs on the old staticky radio. It was no Yule Ball, but he didn't care. He just held Hermione tightly in his arms and let his troubles fade away for the time being.

What started off as goofy twists and turns eventually gave way to more slow even steps, bringing their bodies closer together. A soothing melody came through the radio as a famous muggle artist by the name of Elton John began to sing.

There was a time
I was everything and nothing all in one
When you found me
I was feeling like a cloud across the sun

Harry wasn't familiar with this particular song, though he had heard some of Elton John's other songs before. Perhaps it was new. Aunt Petunia was a big fan of his, and he had to admit he wasn't the worst singer in the world. He used to listen from his cupboard as Aunt Petunia hummed along in the kitchen. It was one of the not completely horrible memories he had.

Oddly enough, he found that the words resonated with him. Everyone had always known him as the boy-who-lived, or as the chosen one. They all thought him to be some special celebrity and savior but he had never thought of himself as one. To him, he was just plain old Harry, a complete and utter nobody who didn't have any reason to be in the limelight.

He had spent much of his childhood thinking that he was nothing but a burden to those around him, that is until he came to Hogwarts and met his friend... especially Hermione. She never made him feel that way.

I need to tell you
How you light up every second of the day
But in the moonlight
You just shine like a beacon on the bay

A small smile tugged at his lips as he felt Hermione lay her head against his shoulder. He had gained and lost so much over the last seven years, yet through it all, Hermione had remained, lifting him out from the depths of despair and bringing much needed light back into his life.

It felt only right that he should repay the favor. She knew how much she was hurting deep inside. They both were. Ron's betrayal was still fresh in their minds. It was just so hard to believe. The three of them had been friends for years and had been through so much together. They would have never guessed that he would be the first to go.

Although, Harry couldn't say that he entirely blamed Ron for leaving. The life they were currently living, if you could even call it that, was far from easy. They were basically fugitives on the run from both Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and from the Ministry of Magic. Not only that, but they were forced to take turns wearing a locket that preyed on their darkest fears and emotions.

"Thank you for staying with me, Hermione," he whispered.

Picking her head back up, she looked as though she might start crying at any moment. "Of course, Harry. I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else."

And I can't explain
But it's something about the way you look tonight
Takes my breath away
It's that feeling that I get about you, deep inside
And I can't describe
But it's something about the way you look tonight

Maybe he was just getting caught up in the song, but he suddenly had the urge to do something - something that he had wanted to do for years but always hesitated because of Ron. He had always known that Ron had a crush on Hermione, but now that he was gone… Maybe it would be alright?

Retracting his hands from around her waist, he brought them up to cup her face, slowly bringing his own closer and closer until their noses were touching. He stopped there for a few moments, waiting to see if she would pull away or do anything to indicate she didn't feel the same way.

She didn't move at first. Then, all of a sudden, she reached up, closing the distance between them by pressing her lips to his.

Harry let out a small yelp in surprise, but it was only short lived as he melted into the kiss shortly after. He hadn't kissed many girls before, only the one time with Ginny, but like most first kisses, it had been clumsy and awkward. To be honest, he wasn't even completely sure why he had kissed her in the first place.

This kiss was completely different, as they each had a little bit of experience under their belts. They didn't have to worry about their noses getting in the way, or which way they should be turning their heads. There was nothing holding them back, allowing them to enjoy the experience fully.

Her lips were soft and warm, tasting of strawberry chapstick, one of many things she had stored in that bag of hers. A surge of joy washed over him. Not only had he finally gotten to dance with Hermione, but now he was kissing her as well. He thought for sure that nothing could ruin that moment. A dozen death eaters could have appeared at that very moment to drag him off and he felt as though he still would have been happy.

He was suddenly reminded of something that their dear old former headmaster used to say. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light."

Dumbledore was right. Things may seem dark outside of their tent, but Harry had found his light, and he felt determined that he could face any hurdle that came his way, so long as he had that light standing beside him.

Pulling away, they stood there together, their foreheads pressed together, silently staring into each other's eyes, marveling at the kiss they had just shared.

"Harry, can I say something that might sound rather selfish?"

He nodded his head. After everything they had been through, he thought they had the right to be at least a little bit selfish.

"I don't want this evening to ever end."

"I feel the same way," he agreed. "Don't suppose you have a time turner on you?"

She shook her head.

Honestly, he didn't think she did, but it was still worth a shot.

"We might not be able to make the evening last forever, but we can make the best of what time we have left," he suggested.

With your smile
You pull the deepest secrets from my heart
In all honesty
I'm speechless and I don't know where to start

She smiled up at him. "I think I can settle for that."

And just like that, they were kissing again, this time more heated than before, their hands all over each other as they let their passions run wild and free.

Starting at her lips, he began to trail kisses down her jaw and neck, stopping momentarily where her bare skin disappeared beneath her clothing, or rather his clothing, seeing as she was wearing one of his flannel button down shirts overtop of her own jumper.

Without thinking he began to fumble with the buttons, Hermione soon joining in to speed up the process. Once it was off, she proceeded to pull her jumper off over her head, throwing it off to the side along with his flannel shirt.

He couldn't help but stare at her naked torso for a brief moment, her breasts covered only by a black bra. His cheeks colored at the sight. This was completely new territory to him. He didn't know exactly what to do next, so he just went with his instincts, and taking her once more in his arms, whisked her off her feet, resuming his trail of kisses as he carried her over to the bunks.

Setting her down on the bottom bunk, which happened to be his, he peeled his own jumper off before climbing on top of her. "Are you alright with this?" he asked. "We can stop if you're uncomfortable with it."

She shook her head. "No, I want this… I need this… I think we both do."

On that, they could agree. Their troubling circumstances had left them both isolated and starving for comfort and companionship.

Her hair was crazier than ever, splayed out across the pillow beneath, her face flushed and the start of a hickey forming on her neck from him kissing her so intensely, but she had never looked more beautiful to him than she did right at that moment.

It was then and there that he made a decision.

"When all of this is over, I promise you that the two of us will go off someplace far away, somewhere we can finally live in peace," he vowed. "We could live in the country…"

"Someplace you can see the sky?"

Harry smirked. She still remembered what she had told him back in third year. Back when he thought he would be going to live with Sirius. He should have known that she would remember. After all, she was the brightest witch of the age.

"I think that sounds wonderful," she said. "I'll hold you to that promise."