Dances Without Music
The Great Hall looked magnificent. Tendrils of golden ribbon encircled the twelve Christmas trees, artistically placed around the room. Bouncing decorative balls adorned each branch in shining, metallic colours, and even playful pixies roamed around the trees, giggling happily and glowing bright light. The traditional, warm and dry snow fell from the enchanted ceiling, giving the place a real, Christmas-like atmosphere. Holly was strewn across the tables and heavenly voices coming from nowhere chanted sweet carols when asked to.
It was nearly perfect.
Because of a very unfortunate accident in Charms class, Professor Flitwick had been unable to decorate the Great Hall like he so usually did. Hermione immediately consulted him in the hospital wing and learned very useful spells and charms that would make the place absolutely breathtaking, and Neville even attempted to learn the charms first hand, due to his guilt for sending Flitwick into the hospital in the first place.
Now, Hermione, Neville, along with a few other peers like Harry, Ron, Dean, Seamus, Parvati, Lavender and others from the other Houses were adding the final touches. Dean and Seamus were out in the Entrance Hall, decorating the staircase with never-melting-icicles, Parvati and Lavender were up near the Staff Table hanging up a banner that said "Merry Christmas" with Ron's help and everyone else were in various places around the school either putting up more holly or attempting to charm the suits of armor to sing (though they didn't get as far as perhaps the first line of a song).
Harry and Hermione, however, were left with the task of decorating the very entrance to the Great Hall. After much debating, they settled on hanging up some mistletoe, which was done for more than a laugh than anything else. Hermione was levitating the mistletoe as Harry directed her.
"A little more to the left…no, left, Hermione…now to the right…a little more…now that's too much," he kept saying.
Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "Really, Harry, centering the thing can't really be that hard…"
He rolled his eyes. "Wait, there…that's perfect."
Hermione dropped her hand holding her wand to the side. "Finally. Now, what's left to do?"
Harry consulted their list. Every little group of people had been given a list of things to get done, Hermione's idea, of course. "Well, according to your list, we're done!"
"Good…I'm exhausted," Hermione said, stretching. The pair of them flopped down onto the bench of the Gryffindor table and watched the other people work. It was quite funny watching the Creevey brothers try to control a group of pixies gone haywire.
"I know I'm supposed to help them at the very least," Hermione said lazily. "But even I have my days…" She yawned. Soon after, Harry yawned as well.
"I say it's about time we head back to the Common Room," Hermione suggested.
"But what about Ron?" Harry queried, casting a glance to their friend who was still busy hanging up the banner up at the Staff Table. Hermione looked in that direction too, just around the time the banner crumpled to the floor and to hear Ron curse all the way from that end of the Great Hall.
"It took a good half an hour to get that banner dead centre!" he said, helping Parvati and Lavender stretch it out and try to hang it up again.
"I think it's safe to leave without him. Looks like he's in for a long night," Hermione pointed out. Three seconds later, the banner fell again.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." The two of them got up from their seats and made to exit the hall when quite suddenly, they found that their legs couldn't move any longer.
"Damn it," muttered Hermione, who Harry could feel was as stiff as he was at the moment.
"Hermione, what's happening?" Harry asked, turning to look at her. At least his head could still move…
"It's the charm," she replied, as if this explained everything.
"Charm? What charm?"
"I kind of, sort of, charmed the mistletoe to stop any pair from moving until they kissed. You see…it was all a joke!" she explained frantically. "So that means…" She blushed.
Harry blushed as well, "…we have to kiss," he finished for her. His face still burning, he quickly planted a peck right on Hermione's cheek at lightening speed. He tried moving…but still found that he couldn't move.
"Nice try, Harry," Hermione said, groaning slightly. "But that's not how it works…" Her face turned a shade darker. "Now don't be angry…but the charm sort of included the kiss having to be a—"
"It doesn't have to be a full-blown snog, does it?!" Harry questioned, his face burning even more at the mere thought.
"Oh, no, no, not at all!" Hermione said rapidly. "But it has to be a real kiss on the lips." She held eye contact with Harry for a good one second before she placed her face in her hands. "Sorry…" she mumbled.
"No, it's alright," Harry said awkwardly. "Where do you find these charms, Hermione?" he asked as an afterthought.
"In the library," she answered. Then she stared down at their feet. "Well, we better…um…you know, so we can…go."
"Oh…right. That," Harry said, nodding.
"I guess, I'll…um…tilt my head this way so our noses don't bump together…" Hermione babbled.
"Yeah," Harry heard himself saying. Next thing he knew, their faces were becoming closer and closer. Hermione tilted her head as she said she would, and on some sort of instinct, the two of them closed their eyes just as their lips touched.
It was a very chaste kiss, nothing out of the ordinary, but definitely something that would require great chemistry between the two people. It lasted for about five seconds before their legs were able to move, but for Harry, it felt as if time itself had stopped. Those five seconds felt incredibly long…but not in a sort of dreading way, but in a pretty nice way. When feeling spread throughout his legs, he pulled away slowly, her doing the same. Her eyes fluttered open, and her lips were still a little puckered. Harry found himself thinking that she looked rather cute.
Neither one of them knew what to say…
"Oy, Harry! Hermione! A little help?" Ron's voice called from across the Great Hall, penetrating their thoughts that were moving through their heads at the speed of light. Hermione's eyes lingered upon Harry's for a split second longer before she called back to Ron. "Okay, Ron, we're coming."
She walked on ahead, Harry following her, slightly behind.
Why had that been weird? All they were doing was helping each other out because of the stupid charm disabling them from walking…it's not like it was a kiss kiss. It was just…well…a kiss! Harry shook his head. These thoughts were very new to him…and it was even odder that they involved Hermione, of all people…of all girls.
A shriek of when the banner fell and covered Parvati brought him back to the present and turn raptly to the task at hand. Right now, his main concern was the banner and not his kiss with Hermione…
* * *
When they finally, successfully hung up the Christmas banner, most of the people who had been helping decorate had already retired to their respective Common Rooms. Ron was massaging his neck, claiming that it ached after having to look up for more than an hour, and Parvati and Lavender quickly darted out of the Great Hall, evidently wanting to avoid anymore tasks to do.
Hermione looked around the Great Hall approvingly.
"Pretty good, you think?" she asked Harry, who found that he had been staring at her as he contemplated what had happened over at the doors earlier.
"Yeah…pretty good. Flitwick will be proud," he said.
Hermione nodded. "Where's Ron, by the way?" she wondered. Harry looked around, also noticing the lack of presence of Ron.
"Maybe he went over to the hospital wing to see if they had anything for his neck," Harry suggested, shrugging.
"Oh…I see." A semi-awkward silence fell between them, which Hermione did not break as she seemed engaged in straightening a stack of papers (everyone's lists of tasks, Harry assumed) multiple times. Harry found himself staring at her again.
He remembered around fourth year, the time of the Yule Ball, that Ron and he had received a wake-up call to Hermione being, not just a girl, but a girl. It had been so surprising then, but eventually, it rubbed off as being nothing. Now, all of a sudden, he was very aware that she was girl and it felt as if this fact was going to stay this time.
And to top things off…he had a very strong urge to ask her to dance.
Just ask Hermione, Ron and he could be very thick sometimes. This was one of those times, because just as that thought entered his brain, his lips were forming the words, "Hermione, dance with me?" He would have clapped his hand to his mouth, but he'd probably just appear stupider, so he kept his ground and waited for what she would say.
Hermione stopped straightening the stack of papers and looked at them for a moment. She then raised her eyes to meet his, and looked at him, hard. Harry felt very much as if he were being x-rayed. She walked a few steps towards him and looked at him seriously, as if she were going to say "yes" to this offer, when her look instantly changed to one of curiosity.
"But Harry, there's no music. You alright?" she asked.
Harry breathed a sigh, though he didn't know if it was one of relief or otherwise. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know…something just made me say it…sorry. I guess because it's so late." He cleared his throat. "Um…let's go back to the Common Room. Shall we?" He turned on his heel and slowly made his way out of the Great Hall, Hermione following him.
Just as they were about to exit, Hermione stopped beside him. At first thinking it was the charm again, Harry realised that he was still able to move. "What's wrong, Hermione?" he asked. Hermione smiled faintly.
"Erm…I just think that maybe you should go first. I'll follow you…but you know…just so we can avoid another episode like…um…earlier," she said. It was the most pauses that Harry had ever heard her talk with.
"Oh, right. Okay then…" he stepped through. Hermione followed and the two of them made their way to the Common Room in silence, due to very confusing feelings welling up inside of them.
* * *
Ever since that night, Harry found himself thinking more and more about Hermione. He'd hear her voice a lot often in his head, and not just when his conscience was needed to give him a guilt trip, but just about something funny she had said earlier at breakfast and similar things like that. He'd find himself zoning out and coming to stay upon her figure, as he admired her hair, her eyes, her hands…just everything about her.
And the more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to think of a real relationship with Hermione. And as he thought about a real relationship with Hermione, it seemed appealing and not at all bad.
If only he could just outright tell her.
Ever since that night, there have been quite a bit more awkward silences between the two. Though watching unsuspecting people get caught underneath the mistletoe (like this one time where Draco Malfoy got caught underneath it with Millicent Bulstrode. They may be in the same house…but Draco was less than pleased to be kissing someone like Millicent) was always hilarious, Harry and Hermione would always blush at the same time at the memory of the same happening to them.
As Harry's mind rested upon Hermione, there were occasions where it strayed to the kiss they shared. He couldn't explain it. It had been very awkward, regarding the circumstances, but if that had been different, Harry was sure that it would have been something really pleasant. It surprised him…he liked the thought of kissing Hermione!
It was another night in the Common Room finishing homework. Ron was fulfilling a detention (surprisingly, Hermione commented, Harry wasn't with him) for picking a fight with Malfoy. Harry and Hermione were completing their Transfiguration homework, and although Hermione was adamant in not telling Harry the answers, she pretty much did when she'd offer "help" whenever he wrote something wrong.
"Really, Harry, Transfiguration isn't just based on the movements of the wand. That's something you would say in Charms. It's more than that! It's like…you also have to think about what you're going to be doing. It's like thinking of the result actually assures that it'll turn out right…" Hermione's eyes glowed with passion as she discussed the fundamentals of Transfiguration. Personally, Harry thought that the subject was a little boring, but listening to Hermione's voice and seeing her happy as she talked about something she loved was…exhilarating. He clung onto every word…every expression…
"Harry, are you listening?" she asked. Okay, so maybe not every word. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Harry straightened his face and coughed. "Oh…well…it's nothing…"
Hermione looked at him skeptically. "Harry, I think we need to talk." Harry raised his eyes from his blotchy writing and looked at her. She cleared her throat and sat up straight. "That…kiss. The one in the Great Hall," she said, as if Harry needed reminding. "I have to be honest with you."
Harry sat up straight too. He wanted to hear her thoughts on this, for he had been living for nearly a week with his own thoughts eating up his insides. "Yes?" he prompted.
Hermione took a deep breath. "Well. It was…odd," she said. Harry felt his insides crumple in a heap in his stomach. "But not in a bad way!" she quickly added. "It's just that. Ever since that night…I've been…thinking."
"Thinking? About what?" Harry asked. He leaned closer to her.
"Well…I was thinking about…um…" Hermione was getting very flustered. A blush was creeping up to her cheeks, and she was talking more to the table in front of her than to Harry. Suddenly, she turned towards Harry and smiled. "You know what? It's nothing," she said. "It's stupid." She immediately turned back to her parchment and began writing again, though Harry noticed that her hand was trembling slightly, making her handwriting look like scribbles.
Harry felt slightly deflated. It seemed that Hermione was feeling the same as he…but was that really it? Could Hermione…maybe…think that starting a real relationship, a romantic one at that, was a possibility?
Harry certainly thought it was possible. He had to do something about it…it was now, or never.
He flicked his wand, muttering an incantation, and music sprung from the very walls of the Common Room. Luckily, it was deserted, considering the late hour. Luckily, Harry knew the right spell, since he had helped enchant the singing voices in the Great Hall to cue the music. And luckily, Harry and Hermione even stayed up this late, waiting for Ron, granting them the chance to be alone.
Hermione looked around curiously. Her eyes then met Harry's, who was now standing in front of her. He held out his hand and bowed slightly, never breaking eye contact.
"Dance with me, Hermione?" he asked. Hermione's eyes flicked to his hand then to his face, her mouth slightly opened. A small smile graced her features as her eyes, glowing a bright cinnamon brown, settled upon Harry's.
Harry smiled back at her. "And this time, there's no excuse. There's music this time."
Hermione chuckled and finally placed her hand in Harry's.
"It would be my pleasure, Harry," she said, as he pulled her up and into his embrace.
* * *
The Daily Prophet was whipped out of Harry's hands as he heard a whisper in his ear. "Dance with me, Harry?"
Harry smirked and turned to look into Hermione's eyes. "But love, there's no music," he said, placing his hand in hers anyway.
Hermione pulled him up and they began swaying to a non-existent beat. "Since when is that an issue?" she asked.
Harry shrugged as they continued dancing. "I didn't say it was an issue," he said nonchalantly. They both smiled and leaned in for a kiss.
"Happy anniversary, love," she murmured as she settled her head into his shoulder.
And the couple danced way into the night…and for the rest of their lives together.
-end-