Dance

by Spasmodic dust bunny

So then he pulled her into him and they became one and they began to dance. (RHr, one-shot)

A/N Not much to say about this one. It was partly inspired by the theory that the series will end with a dance; the middle of middle, end of the end theory. And naturally, being the avid R/Hr shipper that I am, it ended up with the two of them. So, enjoy…?

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give fate the fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance...I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean taking chances but they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance...I hope you dance
I hope you dance...I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,                                                                                                   Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder                                                                                       where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith the fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance...I hope you dance

            Lee Ann Womack       

It was nighttime. It was a nighttime full of warm breezes and whispered promises, and the souls of those who had died seemed to dance across the sky. There were many souls that night, too many, too many dancing across the sky and leaving too many broken ones back on earth. This was the nighttime that they were walking in.

            Neither of them really knew whether to be happy or sad, for both feelings would have been deemed appropriate. It was a happy occasion, because Voldemort had finally been defeated, and there would be no more fighting, no more death. But there was so much death already, and especially in the last few days. There were only names left now, long lists of names and scraps of memories.

            But because sadness has such a captivating power and an overwhelming force, it often triumphs over sadness and so Ron was feeling sad and he knew that Hermione was too.

            It would make sense, Ron knew, for them to be walking faster. They should be eager to get to their destination, to be rejoined with the third. But even though Ron knew it would make sense he didn't will his feet to go any faster then they already were.

            He knew that it was fear that keeps them moving slowly, fear of what he and Hermione would find when they reached the castle. Hermione was walking behind him, and even though he couldn't see her he could picture exactly how she must look, because he knew her that well.

"We could just apparate" Ron said, breaking the silence, just for the sake of saying something.

For once she didn't bother to tell him how useless is was to apparate on Hogwarts grounds, and this scared him more than anything else that night. Instead she said, without looking at him, "I want to walk."

So they began to walk again, not stumbling even once in the darkness, because they knew the path so well. Ron was scared because Hermione wasn't Hermione, and he knew that he should do something but he didn't know what. Hermione was always the one who had the answers.

Ron saw that all the life had left Hermione, for however much she appeared to be alive. And he knew he had to do something to bring her back.

They were walking with a terrible deliberateness, taking one step at a time and making sure that each time their foot landed exactly where they wanted it to. Suddenly Ron stopped, and Hermione almost walked into him but she didn't.

            "What is it?" She asked, her voice slow and steady and devoid of life. He turned around to face her.

            "Let's dance."

 She opened her mouth and for a moment no sound came out, and then instead of the million reasons why they shouldn't running through her head she simply said, "Okay."

So then he pulled her into him and they became one and they began to dance. And it was a dance of life, even when they were surrounded by death. It was a dance that said we are sad and this is how we show our sadness, this is how we show our sadness and how we show that Life can still be found. This is how we show our hope and this is how we ask for more.

There was music coming from somewhere, maybe it came from the air or maybe it came from them or maybe it was them, and in any case it was beautiful.

They didn't know how long they were dancing, but finally both of them sensed that it was over and so they stopped. They had been walking a long time, and so they were almost at the castle, on the edges of the lake. They were almost there but they didn't hurry (Fear, Ron thought) and instead they sat down on the grass beside the lake.

They sat in silence until the silence was broken again, but this time it was Hermione who broke it.

"Thank you,"

Ron was startled, but he had a feeling that this was not the best time to say 'You're Welcome', and he as right because Hermione continued.

"Thank you. I - I don't really know what I'm feeling. But you helped me, so thank you. I suppose we should be going but...I'm afraid of seeing Harry. That's stupid, isn't it? I shouldn't be afraid, but I am."

"So am I" His words seemed to encourage her and she went on.

"No one knows if he'll be alright, or even how long he'll last. We're not sure of anything." She turned to look at him, and saw that there was a tear escaping his eye. She started to say something, but he interrupted her.

"Hermione...oh no...I'm supposed to be helping you and now I'm the one that needs help. I'm just making a big mess of this, I'm sorry."

"We all need to be helped, Ron, we all need to be healed. So you just help someone and they'll help someone else and it's all one big circle so it'll come back to you, too." The moonlight glistened on her face and she suddenly looked more beautiful than ever before.

"I'm alive, and so are you, and so are so many others, even if lots aren't. And Harry...Harry's alive, at least for now and, well, we're together." His hand was somewhere on her back now, but neither of them had noticed because it felt so natural. They sat, leaning into each other for a moment more, and then they rose and started walking again. 

 Hermione suddenly stopped like Ron had before, only this time he can't avoid running into her.

She caught him, and then said, "And Ron, you can't apparate on Hogwarts grounds." And then he smiled and so did she because they both knew that everything would be all right.

A/N All who review shall be given sugar quills.