The Dementors' Kiss

After the first dance, the captains were joined on the dance floor by the rest of their teams and then by the remaining students. Harry grinned as he saw Seamus and Lavender waltz past, celebrating both the New Year, and having been together for more than one year. He smiled down at Ginny.

"Thank you for coming with me," he said gently. She smiled at him happily.

"A chance to be on the arm of Harry Potter? How could I resist?" Harry smiled at the teasing expression on her face.

"There aren't many people I can trust as much as I can you, Ginny," he said. "Why did it take me so long to work that out?"

"Maybe the same reason people don't always see beyond what they expect you to be, Harry," she said quietly. "You had this image of me as Ron's little sister, the youngest Weasley, whatever. . . Am I right?"

"I tried not to think of you that way," Harry said. "But it was hard to get to know you when you turned pink whenever I opened my mouth."

"I'm doing better nowadays," she said, but still coloured a little. Harry grinned down at her, and she smiled back, laughing at herself. Harry's heart skipped a beat, and a shiver ran down his spine.

*

"I can't believe you managed the charm. It's really difficult," Hermione was saying as she danced, quite literally, on thin air.

"I had good incentive," Ron replied, enjoying the Ball immensely. With Hermione floating inches above the ground, he didn't have to worry about treading on her toes, and the two were gliding across the dance floor easily, making Draco and the lumbering Pansy Parkinson look particularly out of place.

Hermione looked up at the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling. "It's such a beautiful night," she said.

"Would you like to go outside?" Ron asked. "The spell doesn't just work in here."

"Isn't it a dreadful strain on you, keeping the spell going?" she asked, her voice laden with concern.

"Hermione, with your hand in mine, I feel like I'm the one walking on thin air, not you," Ron said, blushing as furiously as his sister ever had. Hermione giggled, which made him laugh as well.

"Where on earth did you get that line from?" she asked. "Not that it wasn't very nice," she added quickly.

"Er. . . Bill said he used it once," Ron said evasively. "I thought he might be easier to talk to than Fred or George about, well, you know. . ."

Hermione smiled, and Ron felt his stomach churn. "You've gone to a lot of trouble for tonight, haven't you?"

"Well, you're worth it," he said. "I haven't given you your Christmas present yet, either."

"I thought the robes were my present," she said.

"Not from me," Ron replied. "Harry and the rest of the team. Shall we go outside? I think I'll thump Fred if he makes one more face at us."

"Just when I was beginning to wonder what you'd done to my Ron," Hermione teased.

"Your Ron?" he replied, taking her hand and pulling her gently towards the doors to the grounds. "I could get used to hearing that. . ."

"I was right first time," Hermione said, babbling a little as she felt her stomach flip-flop inside her. "What have you done with him? Bring him back now?"

*

Harry and Ginny watched Ron and Hermione

"I thought you were in good shape," she teased.

"Ginny, please, have mercy," he begged, with a laugh. "No-one ever taught me how to dance. I have to worry about stepping on your feet, about not falling over, about moving in time with the music. . . Is it any wonder I'm exhausted?"

"Maybe we could follow Ron and Hermione? That should wake you up again," she said.

"Watch my best friends snogging? No thanks," Harry laughed. Ginny grinned.

"Okay, then you think of something for us to do," she challenged.

"Well, we could go for a walk," Harry said. "Give your brothers something to worry about when they see us disappearing out to the rose garden."

"You don't want to see Ron and Hermione kissing, but you think going into the rose garden is a good idea?"

"Ahhh... Yeah, good point. Okay then, what about walking down to the lake? Do you reckon there'll be many couples down there?"

"Probably," Ginny grinned. "Anyone would think you're trying to find a romantic spot for us, Mr Potter."

Harry looked sideways at Ginny, trying to gauge her expression before replying.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Miss Weasley. I could just use a breath of fresh air. Besides, if I did try something on with you, can you imagine what your brothers would do?"

Ginny looked at him across the table, and Harry felt a sensation akin to that felt when he was talking to Professor Dumbledore. He was prepared to swear that Ginny knew exactly what he was thinking, and for a second he thought he saw a trace of disappointment flash across her face. He opened his mouth to speak, suddenly eager to dispel the false notion, but was suddenly interrupted.

"All right, you two?" Hagrid grinned at them as he perched on one of the tables. "Saw Ron an' Hermione slopin' off together jus' now. Reckon they're about to get together. 'Bout time too, if yeh ask me."

He wandered off, and Harry looked back at Ginny, but the moment was gone. He sighed, and stood up.

"Shall we go for a walk?" he said, extending his arm. She took it, her usually bright manner somewhat subdued as they exited the Great Hall.

*

Ron guided Hermione across the lawn by the rose garden. They turned a deaf ear to the strange sounds coming from the bushes, and the occasional blast from a wand as Professor Snape treated himself to some belated Christmas presents.

"Ten points from Gryffindor!" "Ten points from Hufflepuff!" "Detention and ten points from Ravenclaw!"

Hermione giggled when she heard Moaning Myrtle erupt from a bush, leading Snape to discover two Slytherin sixth years in a very delicate state. Snape's fury was unprecedented, the discovery coming as it did when Professor McGonagall had joined him on his rounds.

Ron and Hermione hurried away from the scene before bursting out laughing. They had reached the edge of the lake, this spot remarkably deserted despite the high number of trysts that the shadowy area undoubtedly concealed. Ron sat down on a fallen tree trunk, and gently guided Hermione down next to him. He reached into the pocket of his robes, and withdrew a small, pale blue gift, which Hermione realised was wrapped in the same cloth as her robes.

"I had them cut it especially," Ron said, smiling as she took it from him. She unwrapped it carefully, taking care not to rip the material as she undid the string. Opening the box inside, she took in a sharp breath. It was a silver necklace, simple and yet beautiful. Hanging from the chain was a grip in which lay a pale blue stone that gave off a glimmer of light, like a star.

"It's amazing," she whispered.

"It's a nova chameleon stone," Ron replied. "While you were off practising the Patronus charm with Harry and Ginny, I got Professor Flitwick to help me make it. It changes colour to match whatever you're wearing."

"So you never have to buy me jewellery ever again? Very clever, Mr Weasley," she teased.

"Well, y'know, all that effort saves me having to worry in the future. It's like asking you to the ball," he added, grinning. "I figured with you being in the hospital wing all that time, you wouldn't have found anyone else to go with."

He laughed, but the joke fell flat. Hermione let her hands fall to her side, and she stared out over the lake, all traces of good humour gone. The necklace dangled from her fingers, the chain snagged on a branch. The look on her face made Ron's blood run cold.

"Hermione, please, what'd I do?" he asked.

She sat there, and then reached into her small handbag, withdrawing the wand that was so familiar to her, and yet this year had let her down so badly.

"Expecto Patronum," she whispered hoarsely, brandishing the wand at the lake. Nothing happened. The tip of Hermione's wand remained dark, if anything it became darker to match the mood of its owner.

"Hermione, please," Ron repeated. Staring out over the dark water, she sighed.

"Ron, do you know why I can't fight the Dementors?"

"No, I don't," he said. He avoided speculating, or offering trite reassurances. He suspected that Hermione, the most intelligent person he knew, wouldn't appreciate either.

"When I see a Dementor, all I feel is lonely," she said. "It's so. . . so silly. Harry and Ginny see really terrible things. I feel like I did that day when I heard you say. . ." she tailed off, and Ron suddenly understood.

"You see Halloween in the first year," he said, slowly. He felt as though he were seeing a whole new side to Hermione. "I was so horrible to you that day, I made you feel like everything you had worked for was pointless."

"It's really stupid, I-" Hermione began, but stopped when Ron took her hands in his. Kneeling before her, he stared up into her tear-red eyes.

"Hermione, you don't need to worry," he said, his voice firm, although his eyes betrayed. . .

"That's not true," he said, squeezing her hands. "I don't care how smart you are. You're a great person, don't think about yourself any other way. I won't let anything happen to you, ever, because I care about you way too much."

Then Ron leant forward, and pressed his lips gently against hers. For a second she froze. An irrational thought bubbled into her mind.

Then she returned the kiss, swept away by the sweet gentleness of the touch, and the tidal wave of emotions that accompanied it.

*

Harry and Ginny walked through the rounds, chatting in a friendly manner which neither truly felt matched what they were feeling. As the rose garden and lake were very much out of the question, their ambling eventually brought them to the Quidditch stadium. They climbed one of the towers that surrounded the pitch and sank into the seats there, the artificial warmth given off by Ginny's wand keeping them comfortable in the cool night air.

"So, do you think Ron and Hermione are. . . Y'know," Ginny asked.

"I hope so," Harry said, with a grin. "He's been wanting to ask her out all term. Probably longer, knowing Ron. It'd be strange, though. My two best friends getting together."

"And seeing Ron with a girl," Ginny said, pulling a face. Harry laughed, and cupped his hands around the wand.

"Does that bother you?" he asked. She stared into space for a few seconds, obviously formulating her answer.

"Not. . . Not like I want him not to have someone," she said. "It's just, well, Ron and I did everything together before we came here. If him and Hermione do get together, I'll finally lose the last of my brothers."

They sat for a while, Harry thinking about what Ginny had said. Eventually, he looked up at her, and said; "You know, as you seem to be in the habit of losing brothers, I probably shouldn't say this, but if you ever need a brother, I'm always here for you."

She smiled. "I've known that for a long time," she said. "Since you saved me from Tom Riddle."

"You mum would have shouted at me if I didn't," he said, grinning. She laughed.

"It's nice being with you, Gin," he said. "I just feel so very much at ease. You're a great friend."

He leaned in closer to the wand, not seeing her smile fade a little.

*

They sat together for a long time, occasionally talking, mostly just enjoying one another's company. Eventually, dawn's bright fingers began to trace across the sky, and they climbed stiffly back down the tower stairs to the ground.

They hurried across the damp grass, eager to get back inside the warmth of the school, and were fortunate enough to avoid running into any of the teachers as they dashed up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

They parted in the Common Room, pausing only to smile briefly at each other before carefully climbing the stairs to their separate dormitories. Harry slipped carefully through the door of his room, and made his way toward his bed.

"Harry?"

"Ron?"

"Are you just getting in?"

"Yeah. What are you still doing up?"

"I only just got in a few minutes ago. Er. . . Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you and Ginny. . . Er. . . You know?"

"What? No!"

"Oh. . . Okay. Alright then. Good. Well, 'night."

"'Night. Er. . . Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you and Hermione. . . You know."

"Er. . . yeah. Yeah, we did."

"Oh. . . Good. That's good. Great, even."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is. It really is."

"Well, night then."

"Night."