Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Harry Potter

She'd never forget that night. It was the anniversary of Voldemort's downfall, at the great ball that was being thrown. They had all gathered together to celebrate the joyous day that Harry and his rag tag army of students and professors had freed them forever from tyranny and oppression.

She should have been happy. After all she had a wonderful man who loved her at her side, a career she loved, and wonderful friends. But God help her she wasn't happy. She couldn't seem to muster up any emotion other than misery. How could she when the man she loved was marrying someone else less than a week later?

Hermione would never know when exactly she had fallen in love with Harry. She knew that it had rushed over her one day after she and Ron had been together for some time. She knew that Harry had fallen in love with her sometime after he had proposed to Ginny, when they'd been side by side at work like they had been back in school. They didn't do anything about it. How could they? It wasn't that they didn't love Ginny and Ron; it was that they didn't love them that deeply. They didn't feel the same connection. It was something more powerful than either of them was prepared for, but he was engaged, and she was newly married, and they wouldn't hurt the two youngest Weasleys by acting on their feelings. So that night at the ball Hermione stood with the weight of the wedding to come heavy on her heart. She would stand up as Ginny's Maid of Honor and pretend that she wept out of happiness for her friends, not because her heart was shattering into a million pieces.

She looked radiantly beautiful that night in the gown the color of liquid emeralds with her hair twisted up. Ginny had insisted on the dress, saying it brought out the green in her eyes and looked beautiful next to her skin. What she didn't know was that Hermione felt a stab of sharp pain in her heart every time she caught a flash of floating silk, because it was the color of the eyes that haunted her dreams and held that same heart.

Hermione was pulled out of her musings as Ron asked her to dance. She forced a smile and graciously accepted, holding out her hand. As they glided around the dance floor she caught sight of Ginny and Harry moving their way. She felt the fragile walls she'd built up all night begin to fall.

"Want to switch for a bit?" Harry asked. Ron and Ginny laughed at his cheekiness, but Hermione caught his eyes and saw the edge of desperation there.

They switched partners and Ginny and Ron talked animatedly even as the music slowed down and they adjusted their movements to the unhurried pace. Hermione kept her eyes from Harry's as they moved together. Looking around, he guided them gracefully towards the French doors and into the gardens. Everything was so hectic that no one noticed their exit. He kept them going until they were deep within the magically enhanced blooms of color rioting through the grounds.

Even when they were alone, Hermione still wouldn't lift her eyes. Harry moved one hand under her chin. "Hermione?" He lifted her chin gently and felt his heart break even more when he saw the tears shining there. "Don't cry love."

She shook her head. "Don't call me that Harry, you can't call me that."

"Hermione, I wish to God things were different."

"I do to, but they aren't. We've made our choices Harry, and we just…" she trailed off. "We just have to live with it."

He nodded. "I know. I just wanted to have one dance with you, maybe pretend for a few minutes."

"What good does pretending do?"

Harry took a deep breath. "It does all the good in the world, because for a few minutes I can make believe that I'm not marrying Ginny in a week and leaving everything that we could have behind."

"For a minute we pretend." She let him pull her into his arms, breathing deeply the scent that was so intimately him that she would never get close enough to know again. "But it doesn't make it real," she whispered.

He shook his head and bent to bring his lips to hers for the first and last time. The kiss was soft and bittersweet, and tasted of the tears that had been cascading down her cheeks. When he pulled back he wrapped her in his arms. For now, they would sway together under the soft light of shining stars. When the song was over they would pretend nothing had ever happened, and walk away from each other and into others arms forever.