The Things We Do For Love

THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE

CHAPTER 5

"Hermione, you're drunk," a very amused Harry proclaimed from across the table.

She snorted into her Butterbeer. "You can't get drunk from Butterbeer, you twit," she hissed in mock annoyance, taking another swig from her mug.

Harry pretended to be in deep thought. "Perhaps," he allowed. "But you are definitely tipsy."

Setting her mug down with a loud thunk, Hermione leaned across the table on both elbows. She fixed Harry with a knowing glare. "You're one to talk, Potter. How many drinks have you had, hm-m?"

With wide eyes, Harry placed both hands against his chest in an affronted manner. "Me? Let's not change the subject here," he said in mock seriousness, causing Hermione to break out into a fit of laughter.

"Well," she began after catching her breath, "at least we're not as far gone as Ron and Elisa!"

Harry frowned and followed her gaze out into the crowd of dancing couples. He started snickering once spotting Elisa leading Ron in a waltz across the tavern.

"Right you are," he conceded.

This caused them both to lose themselves anew in another fit of laughter. Once Harry's laughter subsided into a few chuckles, he found himself staring at Hermione.

He was quite content with just watching her laugh. 'She's beautiful when she's happy,' he thought with a tender smile.

After meeting up in the Common Room, the group had set out for the statue of the one-eyed witch and into the darkened tunnel for Hogsmeade. Once arriving in the Three Broomsticks pub, they had ordered a round of Butterbeer, forgetting anything and everything in their complicated lives.

It had taken a while for Hermione to relax, but a few mugs of Butterbeer had helped with that. A band had struck up a tune and had begun playing unique songs of the Wizarding World, making Elisa decide she felt like dancing. Ron happily obliged, leaving Harry and Hermione to themselves.

"They look happy together," Hermione remarked with a dreamy, far-off expression.

Harry paused with his mug half way up to his mouth and followed her gaze to both Ron and Elisa once again. He smiled while watching Ron twirl Elisa, accidentally sending her into another couple.

Suddenly, he wasn't thirsty. Placing his mug back down on the table, Harry nodded his agreement. "He loves her, you know," he claimed, his eyes still following the dancing duo.

Hermione smiled with a soft laugh. "It's kind of hard not to notice. They are positively glowing when they're together."

Hearing the wistful note in her voice, Harry moved his gaze to Hermione. She had her head propped up against her left hand. Her hair cascaded down over her left shoulder in a wealth of curls that appeared to be liquid gold in the pub's lighting.

Feeling his eyes on her, Hermione turned to gaze at Harry. She smiled softly, thanking him without words for not pestering her with questions about the events earlier that day in DADA.

Harry frowned slightly and instinctively leaned closer to her. "You know," he began, his face a sparse three inches from hers. "Your eyes are flaked with gold," he observed in a revered voice.

Damn, she could feel herself blushing. This, for some unknown reason, seemed to satisfy him, making him break out into a *very* friendly grin.

"And do you know," Hermione began mischievously, leaning even closer to Harry, eliminating two of the three inches. "When you smile like that, you look like a grinning idiot."

Hermione leaned back into her chair as Harry made an unsuccessful attempt to grab her. This caused her to laugh even harder than before.

"Look at you, you're smashed," Harry said, trying to grin without looking like an idiot.

Hermione managed to suppress her laughter enough to give him a quick scolding. "I thought we already went through this; I am not."

Harry chuckled at her denial. "Maybe not *technically*, but you might as well be!"

"Sod off, Potter," she huffed, folding her arms across her chest defensively.

This only served to make him break out into laughter. "Language, Miss Granger, language."

"Stuff it, you grinning idiot!"

"That, Miss Granger, will get you the punishment of a dance," Harry informed her while rising gallantly out of his chair and holding his hand out to her.

She eyed him suspiciously. "You're not asking me because no other witch in her right mind would dance with you if she wanted to keep her feet alive, are you?"

This caused his grin to widen. "Nope. You are and always will be my first choice." He leaned closer to her, claiming, "You won't mind if I trod on your feet a bit."

Hermione grinned in surrender. "That's right, I won't. And why is that," she said in the manner as if she were asking a class full of first year students.

"Because you are the most kind, sweet and understanding witch at Hogwarts?" Harry offered.

She slapped her hand into his. "Precisely! Fifty points to Gryffindor!"

It felt good to let everything go, even if it was just for a few hours. Hermione could pretend she was the kind, sweet, and understanding witch that Harry had made her out to be. She could forget about Lily Evans, forget about being a Death Eater. As far as she was concerned, for the next hour, there was no Dark Lord.

It was as if the last year had never happened. She was Hermione Granger once again.

"Come now, let us make all of the other dancers jealous of our graceful, fluid movements," Harry proclaimed airily.

"But of course." Hermione smiled.

As they made their way out onto the dance floor, the fast, light and cheery song the band had been playing came to an end, and in its place began a slow song.

A moment of awkward silence pursued in which the two of them could only stare at each other. Cautiously, Harry slid his right arm around Hermione's waist, gently urging her closer to him.

'Don't think about how soft she is; don't think about how soft she is- wow, Hermione is really soft- No! Well, she is, but don't think about it, you prat!' Harry told himself.

Attentively, Hermione snaked her left hand up to his chest.

'Don't think about how strong he is; don't think about how strong he is- wow, Harry is really strong- No! Bloody hell, I know I'll regret this,' Hermione thought as she took another step closer to Harry.

Never taking his eyes off her face, Harry's left hand found Hermione's right. Their fingers entwined and they slowly began to sway to the pace of the song.

Slowly, the words of the song filtered into their fragile spell of silence.

~

There was a time

I was everything and nothing all in one

When you found me

I was feeling like a cloud across the sun

~

Harry frowned. "Isn't this a Muggle song?" he whispered in Hermione's ear, failing to notice the slight shiver that coursed through her body by his mere presence.

She nodded, whispering back, "Yes, but Elton John is a wizard famous for living a Muggle life. Why do you think he wears all of those weird clothes?"

Silence fell upon them as they gazed at each other, unconsciously moving even closer together.

~

I need to tell you

How you light up every second of the day

But in the moonlight

You just shine like a beacon on the bay

~

Hermione slightly winced, causing Harry to smile apologetically.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

She smiled up at him. Harry didn't mean to step on her toes. She thought for a moment, allowing a solution to form in her mind. "I can fix that," she remarked. Gently she stepped up on top of his feet.

Harry grinned down at her, and she grinned up at him. As a result of this brilliant idea, their bodies were lightly grazing each other.

~

And I can't explain

But it's something about the way you look tonight

Takes my breath away

It's that feeling I get about you, deep inside

~

A couple had lightly bumped into them, sending the entire length of Hermione's body against Harry's. He held her tight; whether to keep them from falling or to keep her from leaving, Harry wasn't sure.

~

And I can't describe

But it's something about the way you look tonight

Takes my breath away

The way you look tonight

~

Instead of trying to pull out of Harry's tight embrace, Hermione did just the opposite. She sighed contentedly into Harry, resting her head on his strong chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying that this dance would never end.

~

With a smile

You pull the deepest secrets from my heart

~

'This is life,' Harry thought. 'A man and a woman are so much more together than they could ever be apart.'

Harry rested the side of his face against the top of Hermione's head. He inhaled deeply, taking in her rich, apple cinnamon scent. Her hair was silky soft against his cheek, causing him to gently run his fingers through the wealth of it.

~

In all honesty

I'm speechless and I don't know where to start

~

Hermione could fell herself grow warm from a heat that had nothing to do with being in a crowded pub. If only she could stay there forever, at that moment in time. If only she could stay in Harry's arms then everything would be alright.

~

And I can't explain

But it's something about the way you look tonight

Takes my breath away

~

Harry let his hand wander downwards to softly stroke the small of her back. Hermione was so small, so petite. He needed to protect her; he would protect her, and at all costs.

He gave her a tight squeeze, trying to mold their bodies together so that they may become one.

~

And I can't describe

But it's something about the way you look tonight

Takes my breath away

~

Slowly, and a bit self-consciously, Hermione let her hand drift to the nape of Harry's neck. Once there, she slowly began to caress it, reveling in the small shivers she felt course through him.

'God, Harry, what are you doing to me,' she thought desperately for the answer. Something made her look up at him. There was just something about being in his arms; something about the way he looked at her. There was just something about the way he looked that night.

~

But there's something about the way you look tonight

~

Harry looked down into Hermione's gold flaked, warm cinnamon eyes.

"God, Hermione, what have you done to me?" Harry asked in bewilderment, unknowingly mirroring her very thoughts. He did not even give her the chance to answer, however.

Unblinkingly, Harry lowered his head to capture Hermione's lips with his own in a bitter-sweet first kiss.

~

Takes my breath away,

The way you look tonight...

~

Harry's kiss took her breath away.