I'm back, and I still *chokes up, crying* don't own HP!
"Ron," Mr. Weasley called up the stairs, "are you ready to go pick up Hermione?"
"I'm in here, Dad," Ron hollered from the living room. "Yeah, I'm ready."
Fred, who was sitting next to George on the sofa, snickered, "He's been ready since seven A.M. - he can't wait to see his girlfriend."
"Who could blame him?" George sighed dramatically, wringing his hands. "It's been weeks - weeks - since he saw her last!"
"Not true," Ginny chimed in, walking into the room. "I bet he's seen her every night since the end of term."
"How?" Fred and George asked simultaneously.
"In his dreams, of course!" Ginny laughed, making a kissing face.
"Shut up," growled Ron, ears glowing red.
"Am I wrong?" challenged Ginny.
"Shut up," Ron repeated.
"Oooh," Fred and George chorused, "ickle Ronniekins is in loooove."
"Ron, it's time to go," Mr. Weasley called. Ron immediately jumped up from his chair and hurried after his father; they went outside, grabbed a hairbrush, and were whisked off to a small wood near Hermione's home.
Ron's ears were burning red as he walked with his father to his best friend's house. Why am I so nervous? It's Hermione… everything will go alright. It's not like our parents have never met before. It's not like we haven't seen each other in years or something… it's been a few weeks. It's not like Hermione would change too much in that short amount of time… or would she? His mental pondering would have continued, had he not bumped into his father.
"We're here, Ron," his father smiled excitedly, clapping him on the back. "Do you think that the Grangers will show me how to work their visiontellies?"
Ron laughed nervously. "If you ask nicely, I don't see why they wouldn't."
Mr. Weasley noticed the doorbell and, becoming thoroughly overexcited, pushed it a few too many times. "Ah, this is one of those doorbells that Muggles use! I wonder how you tell if it's working?"
Just then, the door opened to reveal Mrs. Granger. Apparently, Hermione had warned her about Mr. Weasley's excitement over all things Muggle, for she did not seem remotely offput by the multiple ringings of the doorbell. "Hello," she said, welcoming them in, "come in. You're early - we weren't expecting you until tomorrow. Come in and make yourselves at home. Hermione's downstairs," she added as Ron walked inside, "down that hallway, through the kitchen, second door on your right. Watch your head on the way down." She smiled at him, and then led Mr. Weasley into the living room, calling for her husband to come join them.
Ron could hear the adults talking as he made his way down the hall, though he paid no attention to their words. Instead, his mind was filled with thoughts of Hermione. What was she doing downstairs? Was she reading - rather, re-reading - one of her books? Did she keep something down there that she had to finish packing? He heard music - maybe she was listening to a few of her favorite songs, deciding which one to take with her? He was rehearsing how he would greet her in his mind when he reached the bottom of the stairs and all thought was swept from his mind. She was not reading, nor was she packing - she was doing something he had never expected of Hermione.
Hermione was in an arabesque, being lifted into the air by a guy Ron had never seen before. The guy spun her around in the air once, set her down, and fell back a few steps while Hermione slid gracefully out into her splits. The music suddenly changed to an upbeat, fast-paced song; the guy rushed over to Hermione, lifted her to her feet, and the two began to do a complex set of spins.
Hermione was counting in her head, timing the different turns, 5, 6, in and out, 7, 8, in and lean. She leaned back on her dancing partner's arm, lifting her front leg high in the air as her upper body went backwards. She then snapped back up, spun in, out, under, and around his arms, and did a backbend over his arm. Her partner gave her a smile as he pulled her back up and the music changed again.
Ron was staring, agape, at the scene before him. Some guy was dancing with his Hermione, had done some sort of backwards dip thing with her, and to top it off gave her a cheeky grin! Now the two were doing another part of the music. Ron watched as Hermione pushed away from the guy, her face and body conveying utter disgust (Ron's heart leapt), then curl into a ball on the floor as the guy danced around her, trying to get her to come uncurled (Ron's stomach gave an unpleasant jolt). When the guy finally appeared to give up and moved slowly to the other side of the dancing area, Ron was joyous - until the music changed and Hermione uncurled and went after him, twirling into his arms and finishing the piece with a dip that was far too close for Ron's comfort. They then bowed and curtsied to each other and an imaginary audience.
Hermione laughed, grinning at her partner. "I think we've finally got it down!"
"Yeah," he laughed back, "now if only we can keep it perfect until after tonight. Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Hermione smiled, biting her lip.
"Same here," her dance partner sighed.
"Let's just do our best - that's the most we can hope for!" Hermione laughed.
She then turned around, finally spotting Ron. "Ah. Er, hello, Ron." Her face flushed, realizing how the scene must look, and fully aware that she was wearing nothing but a leotard and footless tights- and that her dancing partner was only wearing a thin tank top and a pair of shorts. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."
Ron laughed in a small, nervous manner. "Surprise…." His ears went red, staring at Hermione and her dance partner. Who was this guy? "Erm… anyway… how about a hug hello?" His ears nearly caught on fire at this point, as he raised his arms slightly.
Hermione, laughing and seemingly relieved, walked over to him and gave him a hug. "I missed you," she whispered.
"Missed you, too," he whispered back.
After the two broke apart, Hermione's dance partner said, "Wait - don't tell me, let me guess - you're Ron Weasley, aren't you? You're the second youngest of seven, with five older brothers and one younger sister; you love Quidditch; and you have a good sense of humor." He smiled. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"Er… who exactly are you?" Ron asked, shifting slightly so that he was closer to Hermione.
The guy turned to Hermione with a hurt expression. "You mean you haven't told them about me, Hermione? I am deeply wounded!" He dramatically laid a hand over his heart. "And to think, after all you've told me about him!"
Hermione had turned a violent shade of pink, but was attempting to brush it off. "As you correctly guessed, this is Ron Weasley. Ron, this is my friend and dance partner, Ethan Dubois. We've taken dance class together since we were little, and we went to the same primary school. He's homeschooled by his mum, who is a witch; his dad is a Muggle."
"Er… hi?" Ron said hesitantly, reaching his hand out to shake Ethan's; Ethan took his hand and they shook.
"Oh, mum's calling me - I'd better go see what she wants. Why don't you two chat a bit until I get back?" Hermione asked, flashing her two friends a smile before dashing upstairs.
"So," Ethan began, "Hermione tells me you're her best friend - along with Harry, of course."
"Er… yeah," Ron answered, his mind whirring, "since Halloween of our first year. We're pretty close."
"Hmm…" Ethan seemed to be examining Ron. "How close?"
"Why are you asking, if you already know so much about me?" Ron asked, defensive. "Shouldn't I be asking the questions?"
Ethan shrugged, seemingly casual. "I suppose. What do you want to know?"
"Well, for starters…" Ron tried to decide on a question, then went with the obvious. "What were you two doing just now?"
"We were practicing for the dance competition tonight. We've been practicing ever since she got back from Hogwarts for this."
"So you're entering as a duet?" Ron's eyes narrowed slightly. Were Hermione and this Ethan guy a couple?
"Yeah - just like every year since we were eight," Ethan smiled. "Since we got along so well, we've always done a duet. It started back when we were taking lessons together - our teacher, even when we were three or four - would have us dance together if the part called for it. Hermione was the best in our class when she had to quit, to go to Hogwarts. So, instead of having another partner for the competition, we train together for the first few weeks of summer. I think we've really got a chance to win this year."
"So you grew up together?" Ron twitched slightly, thinking of all the body contact Ethan must've had with Hermione through the years… especially in these past couple of years, when Hermione had… er, bloomed. Ron's ears went red again.
"Yup," Ethan replied. "I live just a couple houses down, with my sister Evie. I met Hermione through her - mum someone to be with Evie during dance class, so I had to take it, too… eventually, Evie quit, but I wound up loving it. I'm the oldest guy at the dance studio, now."
"So you know Hermione really well?" Ron asked, cringing as he wondered exactly how close his Hermione was to a guy he'd never heard anything about.
"Well, I used to think I knew her best, second only to my little sister," Ethan replied, scrutinizing Ron, "but I'm guessing that that's changed since she went to Hogwarts. I only hear from her about once a month, so I know very little of what's going on in her life. She doesn't even usually come home on holidays anymore, so I only see her during the summer. So, I'm guessing someone else," he looked pointedly at Ron, "knows her better now."
"Er-" Ron was saved from trying to figure out how to answer that by the sound of Hermione making her way back downstairs.
"Did you guys find something to talk about?" she asked, smiling at them.
"Yup," Ron laughed, a bit nervously, causing Hermione to give him an odd look, which clearly asked him what was wrong; he shook his head slightly, in an I'll-tell-you-later sort of way.
Ethan watched this exchange with raised eyebrows. Are they…? Why didn't Hermione tell me? He said, emphasizing his words to the point of arousing Hermione's curiosity, "Yes, we did find something to talk about." Now Hermione glanced at Ethan, asking him what was going on; he raised an eyebrow questioningly, to which she shook her head.
Ron watched this silent conversation, his ears burning red again. Why did Hermione never tell me about this guy? Why did I never really ask her about her life before Hogwarts? Why don't I know anything from her pre-Hogwarts life? Why are they so close? Why does this bother me so much?
"Anyway," Ethan said a little too loudly, "why don't I swing by about an hour before the contest so we can warm up and do a dress rehearsal?"
"Sounds good to me," Hermione smiled, well aware of Ron's eyes on the back of her head, "I'll see you then. Is Evie coming to the contest?"
Ethan grinned, "Maybe, maybe not. You'll have to wait and see!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and swatted him on the arm. "Shoo," she laughed, "get out of here!"
"Yeah, yeah," Ethan replied, giving her a quick hug and leaving.
Ron's insides were aflame with jealousy; he'd hardly ever seen Hermione that playful before. "Er, how's your summer been?" Ron laughed nervously again, attempting to camouflage what even he had to admit was jealously. Why had Hermione never told him that she had a boyfriend?
"It's been going pretty well," Hermione smiled. "What's up with you? You're acting very strangely."
"Me?" Ron asked, trying and failing to sound vaguely surprised.
"Yes, you," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes, "there's no one else in this basement, Ron."
"I was just kind of stunned, I guess," Ron muttered. "I never knew that you danced, or about this Ethan guy."
Hermione had a confused expression. "You mean I never mentioned it? That's odd… I could've sworn I'd told you. Maybe I told Ginny, and thought that I'd already told you."
"Oh… Ginny knew about this?" WHY did Ginny not warn me?
"Yes, the subject came up on the train, on the way to Hogwarts at the beginning of second year," Hermione answered, wondering why Ron was asking so many questions. "I'm surprised that she didn't bother telling you." Hermione laughed; Ron's heart jolted.
"Mrowr," came from the region of their ankles. Crookshanks had come downstairs and was rubbing both of their ankles, weaving in and out of their legs.
"There you are, Crookshanks!" Hermione exclaimed. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!"
"Meow, mrowr mew," Crookshanks explained.
"Oh, I forgot," Hermione nodded. "I keep forgetting that you don't like Ethan." She reached down and picked up Crookshanks, scratching his ears.
Ron laughed and reached out to scratch the half-kneazle's ears, as well. Finally, he thought, this mad cat and I agree on something besides that we both want Hermione for ourselves. He blinked. What's wrong with me? This is Hermione - my best friend! I can't want her for myself! A small voice in the back of his head asked, Why not?
"Ron? Hello?" Hermione was waving her hand in front of his face, laughing again. "You keep zoning out. What's up?"
"The ceiling?" Ron joked, attempting to cover up the fact that he'd been thinking about her.
Hermione laughed lightly, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, as I was asking before you zoned out, do you want to come to the competition tonight?"
"Yes," Ron responded immediately, again picturing Hermione dancing; the image was rudely interrupted by the image of Ethan dancing with her. Well, this way I can keep an eye on them.
Hermione looked surprised. She hadn't expected him to want to come, much less for him to respond so quickly. "Really?"
"Yeah, why not?" Ron laughed. "After all, you listen through all my Quidditch rants… and you guys looked really good earlier. Er, I don't really know that much about dance, but -" Ron's rambling was cut short by Hermione putting a finger to his lips.
"If you want to know more about dance, I could teach you," Hermione smiled.
"O-okay," Ron replied, his ears burning red from Hermione's touch. If this keeps up, my ears are going to melt before the day's over, he thought.
"Okay," Hermione began, "I'm going to put on some music, and I'll start teaching you." A few moments later, an unfamiliar tune reached Ron's ears.
"What is this?" he asked.
"This is a Muggle song. Are you ready?" She flashed him a smile that made his mind go completely blank.
"Er - yeah, I guess so," he fumbled, trying to get a grip on himself.
"Okay," Hermione said again, "give me your hands." Her face flushed. How did this turn into teaching Ron how to dance? Why is he so willing to learn? She took Ron's hands and backed up until they were on one side of the 'stage,' her rather empty basement. "This is a partner dance, the one you saw me dancing with Ethan. You start over here, and I start over there. When the song starts, I'll count out '5, 6, 7, 8,' and you start slowly walking out like this," she demonstrated, standing very straight and walking regally, taking large, smooth steps. "I start walking out from over there, and we meet in the middle; I curtsy to you and you bow to me. Do you want to try just that part?'
"Er - sure," Ron said, attempting to understand what Hermione was telling him and retreating to his side of the stage.
Hermione hit the play button; the music began. "5, 6, 7, 8," she counted, beginning to walk towards him. They met in the middle and she curtsied to him. She then went over and switched off the music. "Why don't we start by working on fluidity of movement?"
"What do you mean?" Ron asked.
"Moving smoothly, instead of jerkily; it's the difference between this," she started walking very jerkily, "and this," she walked smoothly, her neck long and her body straight.
"How do I do that?" Ron asked, blinking.
Hermione laughed. "Well, this may sound a bit strange, but you just have to stop focusing on hitting certain points - just imagine yourself moving smoothly, and you will. Just stop over thinking things."
"Who are you, and what have you done with my Hermione?" Ron joked, "She never tells me to stop thinking about anything! In fact, she's spent most of the time I've known her telling me to think. No way you're my Hermione - you must be an imposter."
Hermione blinked. Did he just call her his Hermione - twice? Blushing, she shook the thought from her mind and grinned at him. "That was school Hermione - this is dance Hermione. I guess you didn't know there were two Hermiones, did you?"
"You must not be the Hermione I know," Ron replied, raising his eyebrows, "she's usually a lot more serious than this!"
Hermione laughed. "Don't worry, Ron - after tonight's competition, you'll have your Hermione back. As for now, though - back to the dance!"
Ron blinked. Had he referred to Hermione as his Hermione aloud? However, he had no time to focus on that - Hermione, being Hermione (whichever version), had him working hard. He inwardly laughed - he was like a puppy, learning tricks to get the rewards of her smile and her praise.
After an hour, Hermione stopped the music. "You're progressing fantastically, Ron! Do you have dancing blood?"
"On my mum's side, I think," Ron replied, wiping some sweat off his forehead with the hem of his t-shirt, revealing his stomach and unknowingly making Hermione blush and chide herself for staring at him. "What's next?"
"Well, next is the part you walked in on - with the arabesque-lift, splits, and the turning sequence. Are you up for it?" Hermione asked, looking at him. "You can stop any time, if you want."
"Nah, I'm good," Ron replied, his ears turning red for the fifty-seventh time in the past hour and a half. In truth, he'd wanted to do this scene with Hermione - that was the reason he'd been willing to learn the rest of the dance. "Let's continue."
Hermione beamed at him, making his insides melt yet again. "Alright," she continued, slipping back into her role of dance teacher and performing a move, "this is called an arabesque. After that last bit, you land like this," she modeled how he should stand, "and I will come from your left. I will bend my legs like this, and then place your hands on my hips like this." Taking his hands from behind her, she positioned them on her own hips. Both of them blushed violently, but carried on, thankful that the other could not see their face. "You have to grip pretty tightly so you can lift me."
Ron gripped her slightly tighter, ears aflame.
"Tighter than that, Ron."
He again adjusted his grip.
"You don't have to be so careful - I won't break!"
This last remark made both of them laugh. Ron eventually got the proper grip, and Hermione continued the instruction. "After I plie, I'm going to jump up, into an arabesque. My jump is going to get me up there, but you're going to have to keep me up there. Just straighten your arms as much as you can, okay?"
"Okay," Ron replied, his ears blending in nicely with his hair.
"Five, six, seven, eight," Hermione counted off, then began. After a few unsuccessful tries (which included one or the other of them freezing from the close contact and being unable to speak, much less dance), they finally got the hang of it. When Ron put Hermione down after spinning her, they grinned at each other, Ron feeling almost ridiculously happy.
After that, Ron got the hang of things quickly. Within another hour and a half, he knew the dance well enough so that Hermione could stop saying the movements. He knew that the only reason for this was that he was, as he admitted to himself before, a puppy starving for the treat of her approval. Hermione believed him to be working very hard at something new.
The only thing he was having trouble with physically was the dip at the very end. (Mentally, he had the most trouble with the part where Hermione was disgusted with him. I hate it when art imitates life, he thought bitterly.) He was capable of dipping Hermione - she was very light, and fit into his arms perfectly - he was just having trouble with the fact of how much their bodies touched. Hermione was still wearing a leotard, and Ron was far too aware of that fact.
"Ron, you're zoning out again." Hermione's voice cut through his self-lecture. "I know I told you not to over think it, but you do have to at least think about dancing." She laughed, causing Ron to become distracted again. "Ready for another go?"
"Yeah," Ron gulped, determined to get it right this time. Everything did go smoothly, until they came up from it. Ron wound up pulling Hermione up too quickly and his lips wound up on her cheek, causing both of them to blush. They released each other and took their bow and curtsy.
"Ready to go through the whole thing one more time?" Hermione smiled at him, her cheeks still pink.
Ron nodded. It's strange… this is actually really fun. Merlin, if Fred and George ever hear about this, I'll never hear the end of it.
During this final run-through of the dance, Ron caught a few of the last lyrics. "And if I could tell you/all that I want to/I'd live until the end of time/for I'd be in heaven/hearing the angels sing/and I'd have you by my side/I'll love you 'til the end of time/until the end of time." His ears went violently red during the final dip. They came up, did their final motions, and turned around - to see Mrs. Granger.
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