I hope this chapter cheers everyone up! Thanks so much to all who have read and reviewed! Also, just an aside: I imagined the song for this dance to be "So Close" by Jon Mclaughlin, from the movie "Enchanted." It goes with the fairytale theme and fits R&H well in this scene, I think. So if you like, feel free to listen to the song while you read. Or, imagine whatever romantic song you like! Enjoy!
Ron had two problems. One, his hands wouldn't stop sweating. Two, he didn't actually know how to dance. This hadn't upset Hermione too much that first time they'd danced together and he prayed she'd overlook it once more.
Wiping his hands on his trousers, he placed one palm at the small of Hermione's back and gently led her to the center of the dance floor. Once there, she turned and looked up expectantly at him. Right. I'm supposed to do something here. Taking pity on him, Hermione gave a small smile and took one of his hands in hers. She held it up at about shoulder height. Taking his other hand, she led it to rest at her waist, gliding her free hand up his arm to land behind his neck.
Ron felt dizzy. How is it girls know how to do this?
"We have to move now, Ron."
He nodded and took a tentative step to his left. Hermione moved with him and he repeated the action, this time taking a step backward. He continued that way, making small boxes around the dance floor. Hermione seemed satisfied with that and soon they were moving easily along with the other dancing couples.
"This is a pretty song," Hermione said quietly.
"Uh, yeah, it is," Ron replied. It was a lie. He couldn't even tell if there was music actually playing. His senses were quickly becoming intoxicated by Hermione. Looking down at her, he got caught up in staring at her face. Her hair, her nose, her cheeks, her eyes, her lips. His stare didn't know where to settle, each feature as beautiful as the next. Landing on her eyes, he realized she had been watching him watch her.
Flustered, he said the first thing he could think of.
"You look pretty."
She caught her breath and a faint blush rose in her cheeks. Ron was certain his face looked the same; he couldn't believe he'd let that slip out. Looking quickly at Hermione, her eyes appeared to be tearing up.
"I'm sorry," he said in a rush. "I-I didn't mean to offend you, I just…"
"No, it's not that," Hermione paused, looking down at their moving feet. "You've never said anything like that to me before."
He hadn't? This was news to Ron. How was that possible? What sort of a prat was he if he could make Hermione cry just by saying a simple thing like You look pretty? It was the most obvious thing in the world.
"It figures though," Hermione said, rambling on. "They did all sorts of stuff to me, and they gave me that potion…"
Hermione trailed off, looking anywhere but at Ron. Still holding her and moving her to the music, Ron studied her face. Was she actually saying what he thought she was?
"Hermione, you do look very pretty tonight, but that's not what I meant."
Hermione nodded, looking let down.
"I understand," she said.
"No, you don't," Ron said forcefully, pulling her closer so she had no choice but to look up at him. "I don't just mean tonight, or yesterday. You look beautiful every day. It has nothing to do with a potion."
Hermione was stunned into silence, watching Ron with a new expression on her face. She almost looked…reverent.
"Really?" she whispered finally.
"Of course," Ron said, his voice gruff. "I've thought it loads of times."
Raising a playful eyebrow at him, she said, "Is that so?"
Ron nodded, seriously.
"How many times?"
Ron smiled broadly at her question, realizing she was flirting with him. Openly flirting with him.
"Daily. Hourly," he said, grinning. Then, more earnestly, he said, "Every minute."
Hermione's mouth curved into a smile and she bit her lip, looking down once more.
"In fact," Ron said, his confidence growing. "There were several nights during the Horcrux hunt when I would watch you and wonder, 'How can someone covered in that much dirt look that lovely?'"
Hermione laughed out loud at that, hiding her face in Ron's chest for a moment.
"I did not look lovely," she said, bringing her face back to look up at him again.
"It's true," Ron said passionately. "I swear, you did!"
They stared warmly at each other for a few moments after that, swaying to the slow music. Their bodies had grown closer throughout the dance and Hermione was now flush against him, his arm holding her to him across her back. He hoped Hermione couldn't feel his shaking arms or his heartbeat, which had begun to race at a gallop.
"Merlin, you make me nervous," Ron said quietly, staring her in the eyes.
"Why?" she asked breathlessly.
Ron looked at where their hands were still entwined in the air. He pulled their joined hands to rest on his chest, playing with her fingers.
"Because, I never know what to do with you."
"What do you want to do with me?"
Ron's eyes snapped to hers at the suggestive question and he bit back a curse.
"Hermione…"
"I kissed you Ron."
Ron's mouth suddenly felt very dry and his fingers had gone numb. He nodded slowly back at her, the only action his body seemed capable of at the moment.
"And you kissed me back, didn't you?" she asked, a note of hope in her voice.
"I did."
"What are we doing, Ron?"
Ron shook his head. He had no idea. His face was moving forward, desperate to give her some sort of answer. The palm at her back worked its way upward until his fingers reached her hair, cradling her head and playing with the soft curls. His gaze had moved from her eyes to her mouth and he watched as she licked her lips in anticipation. Their faces were coming closer together and Ron could almost feel the tip of her nose.
Suddenly, Hermione's face jerked back and Ron made a low grunt of annoyance at the loss. Hermione was out of his arms in an instant and he realized someone had interrupted them. Hermione was turned around now, talking to the older woman from the other day.
"Now?" Hermione asked, her voice matching Ron's irritation. Turning back to Ron she said, "I have to go."
She was gone the next instant, being led across the ballroom and up the steps of a long stage at one end of the space. Ron's arms suddenly felt incredibly empty. He watched as Hermione came to stand next to Ginny on the stage, the rest of the candidate's and their ladies in waiting already there.
Ron was immediately pulled back to Earth. He had forgotten for a moment, forgotten hat Hermione was about to be a princess and he was still going to be regular old Ron Weasley. He shook his head back and forth, trying to clear his mind of the fog.
"Good timing."
Ron jerked his head to the left to see Harry had come to stand next to him.
"What were you doing back there?" his mate asked innocently. "Giving Hermione a tooth exam?"
"Shut it, Potter."
"Ladies and gentleman!" the old woman yelled. Her voice had become magically amplified and her words bounced off the walls of the giant ballroom. "Thank you so much for being here tonight for the 56th Sylvan Feast!"
The crowd clapped appreciatively at that then silenced to let the woman continue.
"As most of you know, tonight begins the trial that will determine who will become our next Royal Princess and rule over the entire Sylvan kingdom. Ladies, you are all worthy and each deserve congratulations."
The woman made a show of clapping her hands loudly and the audience followed her example.
"Oh, get on with it," Ron muttered.
"Now, in just a moment, it will be my great honor to signal for the start of the trial," the woman said, moving to the end of the stage. She walked carefully down a short flight of steps to stand firmly on the ground.
"Gentleman," she called loudly. "When you're ready!"
The woman shot her hand up straight in the air and suddenly several things happened at once. One of the girls on stage gave a loud scream and Ron noticed a small circle of air, whipping rapidly in a circle behind the girls. The circle was about a foot wide but growing larger by the second, revealing a black nothingness behind it. The turning created a strong wind that began sucking objects into it and several tablecloths were ripped from the tables closest to the stage, lost inside the expanding vortex.
"What the…" Harry said from beside Ron. Ron didn't hear the end of his friend's question. He was off at run. As he moved closer to the stage, Ron watched in horror as the hole finally became large enough to suck one of the girls inside. The one called Georgiana slipped easily inside and disappeared, her lady in waiting following quickly after. The other girls on stage moved to step backwards, but the rush of the wind tugged at them, making it impossible to get away.
Spectators were running away in fright. Ron's body kept making contact with the shoulders and chests as each person ran farther away from the stage. Ron pushed the people away, running as quickly as he could with all the human barriers. Then, Lavender lost her footing and was pulled inside the vortex. Ron watched in horror as Hermione rushed to the edge of the hole, grabbing the blond girl by the arm. Lavender's head was visible as she held on, the rest of her body already lost inside the black hole.
"Hermione!" Ron bellowed. "Get away!."
It was no use. Nothing could be heard over the rushing wind and the screams. Two more girls flew through the hole and Ron saw tears streaming from Lavender's eyes as she struggled to hold on to Hermione's arm. Ginny stumbled to Hermione's aid then, each reaching into the circle to hold onto Lavender. The hole had grown so large now that it was sucking in hats and glasses from the partygoers, all of who were trying to get away as fast as they could.
Then, Hermione lost her grip and Lavender disappeared. The momentum of it caused Hermione to trip and both she and Ginny fell head first into the vortex. One of Hermione's arms landed with a thud against the outside of the hole, as if there was a wall there she could hold onto.
Ron's pace reached a frenzy and he deftly jumped over an upturned chair.
"Hermione, hold on!"
One by one, the final three girls on the stage succumbed to the hole until the only figure left was Hermione, who's head could just be seen as she clung on. Numbly, Ron noticed a few other figures running at his side, also making their way to the hole. He didn't care. Just ten more yards and he would be there. Then, in a second that seemed frozen, Hermione finally lost her grip and slipped through.
The black began closing at a frightening speed, spinning in on itself to get smaller and smaller. Ron saw a lone figure make his way to the hole first and jump through. A second and a third man followed. The hole was now so small it looked like it would be gone in an instant. Ron watched as a fourth figure made his way through, barely fitting. With a desperate lunge, Ron reached the edge of the hole and threw himself inside. He felt something latch onto his ankle as he was sucked through. Then the hole closed up and Ron was falling through a black infinity.