Rating:
PG-13
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Harry Potter Hermione Granger Parvati Patil Ron Weasley
Genres:
Romance Drama
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire
Stats:
Published: 05/29/2003
Updated: 06/11/2003
Words: 119,713
Chapters: 25
Hits: 162,459

Dance With Me Harry

Aerie22

Story Summary:
COMPLETED. During the summer after his fourth year, after Uncle Vernon beats Harry, the only thing that keeps him going is thinking about Hermione's kiss at the train station. But once the authorities intervene, he is sent to live among the Muggles, where he learns about life and love. But will this help him win Hermione's heart? Or will Voldemort strike first?

Chapter 08

Chapter Summary:
During the summer after his fourth year, after Uncle Vernon beats Harry, the only thing that keeps him going is thinking about Hermione's kiss at the train station. But once the authorities intervene, he is sent to live among the Muggles, where he learns about life and love. But will this help him win Hermione's heart? Or will Voldemort strike first?
Posted:
05/29/2003
Hits:
6,109

DANCE WITH ME HARRY

By Aerie22

CHAPTER 8

Bullies

"Hi, Harry."

He turned as he exited the vicarage to walk to the parish dance to see Pam DeMarco waiting for him. She gave him a bright smile, and Harry returned it with on of his own. Pam was cute and bright and, now that she was over her initial reticence over Harry being a stranger, was flirtatious and fun. "Hi, Pam," Harry said brightly. "You're going to the dance? You're here awful early. Come to help set up?"

She gave him a kittenish glance. "Not exactly...I was hoping to see you."

Harry smiled coyly. He liked Pam. And he still could feel the kiss she'd given him on his birthday. "I'm glad, I guess."

Pam's smiled brightened again. "It's just that I hardly ever see you except at the dances and when you're working in the neighborhood," she said, taking his hand and leading him, past the hedges on the way to the cemetery.

"It's shorter if you take the sidewalk," he said in an anxious but intrigued voice.

Pam squeezed his hand. "But it's quieter over here."

Suddenly, she turned around and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Harry was startled at first, but leaned into the kiss. It was nice, even if Pam wasn't as experienced a kisser as Sara. He gently put his arms around her and kissed her back, and he could feel her give a quick shiver. Harry broke the kiss and reveled in her embrace. It was nice in the Muggle world...

Suddenly, he let her go. "Uhhh...Pam?"

She was looking at him with glittering eyes. "Why don't you ask me out, Harry? We could go out on a date, maybe?"

Harry's eyes fluttered. "Uhhh..I like that. I guess I'd like that a lot...but..."

It was Pam's turn to blink. "But what?"

Harry hung his head, his cheeks reddening. "I don't know...It's just that I sort of already have a girlfriend back at school and...well...it wouldn't he fair to her. Or to you. I mean, I don't want to fall in love with two girls or anything," he managed to stammer out.

Pam stepped back with a small pout on her face. "So you don't really like me," she said flatly.

Harry started. "Of course I like you. You're real pretty. And I'd like you to go on a date or be with you. But I already like this other girl who I'll be seeing in a couple weeks or so. And I won't be able to see you until Christmas and...I don't know. It's awful complicated."

Pam's frown softened. "You really think I'm pretty?"

Harry blinked. "Of course I do. Don't you look in the mirror?" he said, flustered.

Pam flushed with pleasure. "But you don't want to go out with me," she said, her tone shifting rapidly.

Harry shook his head in confusion. "Well...yeah I want to go out with you, but...I don't know. I like Hermione and, well, I like you, and it's not right if I go out with one girl when the other isn't around. It's like lying. And I don't want to do that." By now, Harry's shoulders had sagged in frustration and confusion.

Pam's pout had returned. "I don't see why you have to go back to that school," she whined. "All the way up in Scotland. It sounds dreadful. Why can't you go to Smeltings right around here? Then you could be around and we could...well go on dates. Be a couple."

Harry sighed. "There's a lot of people counting on me back at my school. Plus, I can't afford to go to Smeltings. I get...like a scholarship to go to my school. Oh, Pam. I can't."

Pam walked over to a nearly bench outside the entrance to the cemetery and sat in a sulk. "You could go to my school," she said quietly.

Harry sat down beside her and took her hand. "No, Pam. That wouldn't work out either. Look, I really like you, but I don't think we should be a couple

...even though you're a great kisser and pretty and all..."

Pam looked up at him. "You think so?"

Harry nodded morosely.

Pam turned away and resumed pouting. "Well, if I'm so pretty and a good kisser and all, then why don't some of the other boys ask me out?"

Harry looked up and turned to her. "Are you kidding? They all must be crazy!"

Pam turned to look at him. "You're so sweet."

Harry nodded. "I think Jim is crushing on you, you know."

Pam's look turned pensive. "Well, you couldn't tell by me. He's always around but he just sort of sits there and doesn't say or do anything."

Harry leaned forward in thought. "Maybe he's just shy. Like that first dance when we met. I was real nervous, but I wanted to have fun so I asked you and Beth and Patty to dance, even though I didn't really know how."

Pam looked up at him. "You're a good dancer."

Harry shrugged. "I was nervous, but I figured I'd take a chance. And it was fun. But Jim thought he'd look silly. I had to push him to ask you to dance."

Pam shrugged. "He's okay, I guess."

Harry nodded. "He just didn't want to look silly on the dance floor. And I guess he doesn't want to look silly trying to ask you out. What if you said no to him. He'd be embarrassed and hurt and he doesn't want to take that chance, I guess."

Pam shook her head. "Well, if he wants to go out with me, he should ask," she said flatly.

"I'll see what I can do," he said, squeezing her hand. "And I mean what I said. You're very pretty."

Pam smiled and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You're not so bad yourself. And if you decide not to go back to that school, ring me up."

* * *

"My God, Jim! What happened to you?"

Harry was appalled to see a large welt across Jim's left cheekbone, all swollen and angrily colored.

Jim gave a lop-sided smile, which caused him to wince a little and his left eye to tear up. But he gave a hollow chuckle.

"Met up with what's left of your cousin's old gang," he said in a strong, but oddly pitched voice.

Harry stared at Jim, his fury rising. "I'll get them for you, Jim. They can't do that to you."

Jim's eyes crinkled up and the right side of his mouth turned up in what could pass for a grin.

"No need to," he said with a muffled chuckle. "The four of them cornered me and after a I took a couple punches, I got a good one in, right on Piers' nose, just like you told me. He crumpled up and started crying. He started screaming I broke his nose. But he wasn't even bleeding," he said with a chuckle.

"They were all so surprised that I got another punch in on Gordon's midsection before Dennis and Pudge pulled them away. Pudge even smiled and told me 'good shot'," Jim said chuckling.

Harry blinked in astonishment. "Who's Pudge?"

"Malcolm. Malcolm Biggle. I talked to him later. He thinks Piers is a jerk, too, but just sort of hung around cause they were his only friends. He says Dennis isn't too bad but Piers and Gordon are real jerks."

Harry shook his head in wonder. "You kicked Piers' gang's butt?"

Jim chuckled, then winced again. "You were right. They were just cowards after all. Pudge and I called a truce and he said that the others shouldn't be bothering me any more. Or anyone. I've already heard Piers has a new nickname. 'Crybaby'," he said, chuckling softly again.

Harry reached out and grabbed Jim's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Amazing," he said wonderingly.

* * *

Harry had managed to push Jim into dancing with Pam, who was was full of caring and sympathy over his injuries. And Harry had taken turns between Patty and Beth. Beth looked at him with soulful eyes. You're not going to be here for the last dance of the summer?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "I leave on Thursday the 31st. I'm sorry."

Beth sighed sadly. "We'll miss you...I'll miss you."

Harry leaned over and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I'll try to stay in touch. I'm going to be very busy with studies and sports and being a house prefect and all, but I'll try to write. After all, this has been the best summer I've ever had."

Harry enjoyed dancing with Patty and Beth and was pleased to see Pam and Jim holding hands and talking in an animated fashion, or at least as animated as Jim's injured face could manage.

As the dance was winding down, he noticed Peter Boyd near the entrance of the hall and wandered over.

"Peter," he said with a smile. "This is the first time I've seen you at one of these dances. What's up? Did you ask her?"

Peter gave a sad shrug. "Yeah. She said no."

Harry had been after Peter to ask Sara out for the past two weeks. He knew Peter liked her and that Sara was bored with Trevor abroad. So Harry had his hopes up. But things don't always work out like you plan them.

"Sorry, Peter. I thought it might work out," Harry said with a sympathetic look.

Peter shrugged. "She said that Trevor would be back next Wednesday and she would wait for him. She didn't sound all that enthusiastic, but still, they're a couple and she likes him. Don't ask me why."

Harry snorted, and gave Peter a wan smile. "Well, there's always Marianna."

Peter shook his head sadly. "I don't think so," he said quietly. "I've been thinking about her a lot. I kind of realized that we've been going out because we are a couple, rather than because I really like her."

Harry looked at him, a puzzled expression on his face.

Peter sighed. "Look, we've been going out for about a year. At first it was fun, being a couple and finding out about each other. But now it's like we are just going out to go out. And it's boring, when she's not losing her temper. It's like she's always trying to bully me, and I don't like it. And I figure that enough is enough."

"Oh. That's too bad," Harry said. "So what now?"

Peter shrugged. "I figure there are other nice girls at Drayton. Or here in the neighborhood. Who knows?"

Harry gave a shiver. Could that happen to him. Is it as easy to fall out of love as it is to fall in love? Could he be with Hermione and suddenly stop loving her?

No, Harry decided. Peter and Marianna didn't really know each other and only learned they were not in love after they were dating for a while. But Harry knew Hermione. He knew her little habits and her faults, her likes and dislikes, and everything he thought he needed to know about her, except whether she liked him.

* * *

Sara was in a funk. Trevor was supposed to have arrived last night but she hadn't heard anything from him. Harry sat across the table from her, sharing a picture of iced tea after mowing the back lawn.

"He probably had a lot of things to take care of," Harry said mildly. "I'm sure he would have rung you up if he could."

Sara snorted. "Too busy to stop by, maybe. But not too busy to ring me up for a hello," she said with a sulk.

Suddenly, they heard a car pull up. Sara's eyes lit up. "In the back!!" she called as she jumped up, full of excitement.

Trevor came striding round the corner. He was tall and trim and looked a little sunburned. He had fairly short wavy hair and a surprising detached expression for someone who was seeing his girlfriend for the first time in two months.

"Sara, come on. My parents are out if the house until later this afternoon," he said flatly.

Sara blinked. "What?"

"I said, come on. We've got at least three hours alone. Let's go."

Harry was shocked and Sara was annoyed. "Trevor! Why didn't you call last night? Here, sit down and have some iced tea."

"Bugger the iced tea. Let's go."

Sara frowned. "Now wait a minute. Let me introduce you to someone. Trevor, this is Harry."

"Yeah, hey kid," Trevor said without even looking at Harry. He grabbed Sara's arm. "Now come on, let's go."

Harry was now getting angry. He didn't feel it his place to say anything, but he could feel his face growing red.

Sara tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he held fast. "Look, my parents will be back in no time, so let's get going."

"No," Sara said firmly.

But Trevor had already pulled her out of her seat and was foreceably leading her up the path toward the front of the path.

"Stop it!" Sara said.

Trevor paid no heed until he felt a hand grasp his wrist. "She said let go," Harry said angrily.

"Hey, bugger off, kid," Trevor growled and started to pull Sara away again.

But Harry moved around in front of Trevor, blocking his way.

Trevor glared at Harry. "I don't know who you are, kid, but you better get the hell out of here before something happens. Now come on, Sara. Let's go."

Trevor was a full six-foot-two and outweighed Harry by a good forty or fifty pounds, but Harry would not move.

"Trevor! Stop!" Sara cried.

Trevor let her go and grabbed Harry to push him out of the way. Harry lost his balance and reached out to grab Trevor's sport shirt, giving it a yank as he fell. Trevor himself was caught off balance and fell face forward into the gravel along the side of the path.

Harry recovered first and was on Trevor's back in an instant, grabbing Trevor around the neck in a head lock. Trevor managed to rise to his feet with Harry still on his back, while Sara screamed.

Trevor suddenly lurched backward, knocking Harry into a nearby tree, loosening Harry's grip on his neck. Trevor moved quickly to grab Harry, but Harry, retaining memory of his training from Peter Boyd and John Nichol, used his agility to duck and leaned in with as hard a punch as he could muster right at the based of Trevor's breastbone.

Trevor doubled over and dropped to the ground, gasping for breath, the wind knocked out of him. Harry could feel the adrenaline surging as he stood, panting over his stricken opponent. He was shaking and desperately fighting the temptation to inflict further damage on Trevor, when he paused, closing his eyes to regain his composure.

In moments, he felt he was ready to walk away. He turned asd faced a distraught Sara. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Sara stared down at her boyfriend with a mixture of sorrow and loathing. "Goodbye, Trevor," she whispered.

Harry took her elbow and gently led her back to the house. He led her to the drawing room, for once ignoring the dirt he was tracking in and simply sat there with Sara for the next two hours while she cried and dozed. He only stirred to retrieve the pitcher of iced tea and glasses from the deck in back to give her something to drink when she needed it.

When Sara's mother drove up, Harry gave her a quick explanation and apology for the grass clippings in the drawing room. It was only as he was leaving, that Sara looked up at him. "Thanks," she whispered.

It was three days before Sara rejoined Harry on the running track behind the local school. It gave him time to nurse the massive bruises on his shoulder and back from his encounter with Trevor.

She didn't say anything about the incident with Trevor at first. In fact, Harry was surprised and disappointed that, after running side by side with him for six laps, Sara broke off and began walking off the grounds instead of waiting for him in the grass or the bleachers. He continued to run for another six laps, picking up his pace until his muscles burned.

But as he stretched out after a half-hearted series of cool-down exercises, he saw her return. She sat down beside him on the grass and sighed, but did not speak for several minutes.

Finally, she turned to Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry. I really am. I don't know what happened. I wish you didn't have to see that, but I'm glad you were there for me."

Harry nodded as he watched her. "I..." then she paused again. "Look, Trevor is a jerk. I knew he was when we were going out. But he was never that bad."

She paused again, lost in thought. Finally, she looked at Harry with a sad smile. "I've never been physically hurt by a guy before. And I swore I never would be. But..."

Harry continued to wait patiently. He found it difficult to listen to Sara. He was embarrassed and embarrassed for her. But he cared about her deeply. Had he been older and a Muggle he was sure he would have fallen in love with her for real. But she was kind and decent to him as a friend. And as much as he was in love with her, he knew that his love wasn't real and was happy just to be there for her.

Finally, she looked up at him with a rueful smile. "It's funny, you know. All that advice I was giving you about how to treat your girlfriend? It was basically just telling you how I would like to be treated. I've gone out with some real jerks. And I'm not going to put up with that sort of treatment ever again."

Harry nodded. When she didn't continue, Harry fidgeted and finally spoke.

"Sara. You are one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met. But more than that, you are one of the nicest people I've ever met. You don't have to put up with guys who are jerks, or brutes, or prats. Don't ever think that you do."

Sara gave a shrug. After a long silense, she turned to Harry again. "Is Peter Boyd a nice guy?" she said softly.

Harry gave her a soft smile. "I think he's a great guy. All he wants is to find a nice girl who will listen to him and talk to him. And maybe who is fun to be with. His last girlfriend was none of the above. Just pretty, he said. So he broke up with her, or plans to next time he sees her."

Sara nodded and hung her head. "I've known him for a long time. He was always sweet and a little loopy. And he always seemed to be able to make me laugh. Maybe he would be nice to get to know better."

Harry smiled.

"So how long before you go back?" she asked.

"Four more days," he said with a sigh. "This Thursday."

Sara nodded. "I'm going to miss you, you know."

Harry sighed and lay back on the ground. "I'm going to miss you, too. But we still have two more days of lessons," he said with a wistful smile. "It will be like cramming for exams."

Sara chuckled, the first sign of life she'd shown since Trevor's return. "Well, we've got a lot of ground to cover. You don't want to be unprepared when that girl of yours comes around, now, do you?"

Harry closed his eyes and laughed. He was glad that Sara would now have a real chance at happiness with his friend Peter.